New York Knicks Rumors: Free Agent Wants To Sign With Knicks, Phil Jackson ‘Intrigued’

New York Knicks rumors now include a free agent wanting to sign with them. The Knicks and team president Phil Jackson have a lot of work to get done in the NBA offseason, so hearing that players want to come to New York is certainly a step in the right direction. A report from the New York Post on Thursday (May 28) states that DeMarre Carroll has a “desire to play to play for Knicks coach Derek Fisher.” The 6-foot-8 swingman played for the Atlanta Hawks last season and will head into free agency, looking to sign a large contract with a new team.

Another free agent that could leave the Hawks is 6-foot-8 power forward Paul Millsap, who could also be a target of the Knicks in free agency. He will garner a larger salary than Carroll, though, possibly pricing himself out of the range of players that Jackson can afford to sign. Millsap would be the perfect complement to Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony at the other forward position, possibly creating a tandem that Jackson would not want to pass up. With a lot of salary cap space, Millsap and Carroll will be just the first free agents surfacing in New York Knicks rumors this offseason.

Last season with the Hawks, DeMarre Carroll averaged 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.13 steals per game. Paul Millsap averaged 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.56 steals. Carroll spoke about his pending free agency after the Atlanta Hawks were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

“I’ve been getting a million calls and emails … This might be the biggest contract of my life. But at the end of the day, this game isn’t promised to you. So whenever you’ve got an opportunity to play basketball, a lot of people say it’s bigger than money and it feels like that to me.”

Heading into the 2015-16 NBA season, the New York Knicks have around $27 million in salary cap space. That is for contracts that the team can offer free agents like DeMarre Caroll and/or Paul Millsap. The team could also work out sign-and-trade deals with other franchises, especially since ownership has not been shy about paying luxury tax fees for going over the cap. The presumption is that Phil Jackson wants to find the right pieces to work with Carmelo Anthony over the next few years.

Teams can’t start pursuing free agents until after the 2015 NBA Finals have been completed, so there is still a lot of time left for free agent rumors to surface. As previously reported on the Inquisitr, Kevin Love has a player option for next season, meaning he could opt out and become a free agent as well. He might be one of many names on the open market, possibly allowing New York Knicks rumors to flourish when it comes to signing Paul Millsap if other teams pursue Love.

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