Knicks expected to pursue Kent Bazemore

Atlanta Hawks soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Kent Bazemore will reportedly be pursued by the New York Knicks.

What It Means:

Although he would prefer to stay in Atlanta with the Hawks, Bazemore is open to the idea of signing with the Knicks and helping them upgrade on the wing. The Hawks will get first dibs on re-signing the almost 27-year-old (his birthday is on Friday), but he will listen to pitches from the Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans if Atlanta underwhelms him with their initial offer. Bazemore is assumed to be in quest of a deal worth about $16 million annually.

Bazemore averaged 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 3-pointers on 44.1 percent shooting from the field last season. Every single one of those metrics represented a career-high while his -0.5 nERD ranked 85th in the league.