The Knicks have a lot of post-season roster filling out to do... once they get the whole Donnie Walsh/Mike D’Antoni situation straightened out. And the Chauncey Billups situation. At least there are deadlines on those.
But when they do get all that figured out, and when the lockout is over and they can get around to dealing with role players again, they would love to get Wilson Chandler back (they sent him to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony deal), and he would love to come back, according to the New York Post. D’Antoni thinks he is the kind of role player the Knicks are now sorely lacking.
The problem is how. Chandler is a restricted free agent and now the Nuggets have the rights.A sign-and-trade with Denver is possible, since the Nuggets once liked rookie Landry Fields, who had a terrible playoffs. Fields did not feel comfortable playing with Anthony, but he thrived with the Nuggets’ Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton and Timofey Mozgov.
The Knicks also could go under the salary cap if they decide to buy out Chauncey Billups by Friday. If they bring Billups back, the Knicks could also sign Chandler to the mid-level exception on a long-term deal, if Chandler is willing to take less money to play in New York. The sense is he’s not thrilled with the Rocky Mountains and was despondent in his final weeks as a Knick with rumors he was bound for Denver.The real problem is, we don’t know under the new CBA how all that would work. But look for the Knicks to try something.