With the New York Knicks completing their buyout on the contract of former All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire on Sunday, multiple playoff contenders have reportedly expressed interest in signing the veteran power forward for the remainder of the season.
The 32-year old Stoudemire is officially available on the free-agency market after four subpar seasons in New York.
"Amar'e's period as a Knickerbocker has come to pass, at his request. His time here should be marked by recognizing his effort - it was 100%," Knicks team president Phil Jackson said in the statement. "As we move forward in structuring this team, we will look for players that exhibit his desire to win."
The Knicks completed their buyout on Amar'e, allowing the former Rookie of the Year winner and All-NBA team member to sign with a team with a better chance of winning him his first NBA championship. As is expected, there's no shortage of suitors for Stoudemire, who is averaging 12.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season.
Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy enumerated the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and the Toronto Raptors as potential suitors for Stoudemire, while Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski listed the Dallas Mavericks and a surprising suitor, the San Antonio Spurs.
Marc Stein also mentioned the Clippers and Mavs, but he also indicated the Cleveland Cavaliers, who already made a gauntlet of moves on the trading block this season, as another suitor although not much active.
According to Wojnarowski, rival general managers believe the Mavericks have the highest chance of landing Stoudemire because of his relationship with owner Marc Cuban and head coach Rick Carlisle.
"Dallas owner Mark Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle have strong relationships with Stoudemire's representatives at Relativity Sports and that has further strengthened the belief Stoudemire will sign a deal to bolster the Mavericks' bench for the rest of the season, sources said."
Stoudemire is in the final year of a five-year, $100M deal with the Knicks that pays him $23 million this season.
