(spursreport.com) In an article that will appear in Tuesday's New York Post, Marc Berman reports that Knicks president Isiah Thomas has had several discussions with Charlotte Bobcats GM/coach Bernie Bickerstaff regarding a trade before tonight's expansion draft, but no agreement has been reached.
Bickerstaff said discussions will still continue with the Knicks and apparently those discussions include Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard Aaron McKie and San Antonio's Malik Rose, both with long-term deals.
As you may recall, Thomas nearly traded for Rose at the trading deadline in exchange for Kurt Thomas, but Knicks management killed the deal at the last second.
"Sources say the Bobcats have interest in Knicks Othella Harrington and Dikembe Mutombo, both in the final years of their contracts, and the Knicks' second-round pick (43rd overall). Bickerstaff said he's looking for a couple of vets to serve as mentors," writes Berman.
The Spurs can offer up to $3 million and draft choices for the Bobcats to select - or not select - one of their players.
The Bobcats are free to prearrange deals to send a selection to another team and for weeks insiders have indicated there will be surprises on Tuesday.
San Antonio's Matt Carroll, who played in 16 games for the Trail Blazers and Spurs as a rookie, may be selected in today's expansion draft. Carrollis set to earn a non-guaranteed $620,000, which makes him especially attractive to the Bobcats.
Charlotte is expected to draft between 11 and 14 players from the other 29 teams' unprotected lists