The New York Knicks reportedly are interested in re-signing at least two of their current players. According to separate reports, Knicks president Phil Jackson is interested in re-signing big men Lou Amundson and Andrea Bargnani as free agents after the season.
New York acquired Amundson in January's three-team deal that included J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert getting traded to Cleveland. Amundson, a 32-year-old journeyman who's playing for his 10th NBA team, apparently has impressed the Knicks' organization so much that the front office is considering in re-signing him in July when his contract expires.
"Take a Lou Amundson,'' Knicks general manager Steve Mills told season-ticket holders Thursday, according to the New York Post. "What kind of a player he was coming here - six minutes a game. All of a sudden we're asking him to play 32 minutes. But he's a guy who can be part of something, but just not as a starter. We're looking at a player we think that could be part of what we're doing. We don't want to go into next season having to add nine new players. We want to have some continuity.''
Amundson sounded open to the idea of re-signing with the Knicks, but he told The Post he would play overseas in Europe if no NBA team signed him after the season.
"Yeah, everything is on the table for me,'' Amundson said. "I would like to play. I've been in this league, so I know what that's like. So I think going overseas would be a new experience for me I think I'd enjoy. I'd get an opportunity to play. So yeah, everything's on the table.''
New York is also reportedly interested in bringing Bargnani back, for the right price, due to how well the veteran has played in the triangle offense. Berman reported in March that Jackson was interested in re-signing Bargnani, and ESPN's Ian Begley didn't rule out the idea of Jackson offering the Italian a veteran's minimum contract.
