Joe Johnson signed a six-year, $123.7 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks in 2010, but seriously considered the New York Knicks.

“Almost. Almost,” Johnson recalled of the Knicks’ contention. “The Knicks were the first team I met with.”

Johnson met with Mike D'Antoni, Allan Houston and James Dolan.

“We all met and talked and they had a great presentation. It was impressive. You know what threw me off more than anything?” Johnson asked. “Obviously there was the money difference, but they said, ‘You needed a place in Westchester and you needed a place in the city.’ They said you would roughly spend like $5 million.

“I was like, ‘aw, no,’ as opposed to being in Atlanta where I was already established with a solid team that was getting better every year. And I didn’t have to buy nothing or make any changes, and we had the arena and the practice facility in one place. It took me roughly 20 minutes with traffic to get there. Oh no. So then I never even imagined being in New York.”

D'Antoni isn't sure if the Knicks actually told Johnson that.

“I don’t know if we told him that,” D’Antoni said. “But he could afford it anyway. Obviously he made his choice, and for Atlanta, he was great.”

Paul Millsap will be a free agent this offseason and had a 19-point performance in the Atlanta Hawks' win over the New York Knicks.

”There’s always some potential here [in Atlanta] for sure,’’ Millsap told The Post before the Hawks swept the home-and-home Monday. “But I’m trying not to think about it, trying to put it as far in the back of my head as possible until the end of the year and see what happens.’’

Asked about playing in New York, Millsap said, “Anywhere could be an option. But my loyalty right now is in Atlanta. Free agency is free agency. When it happens, I’ll weigh my options and see where I’m at. But I’m happy in Atlanta right now.’’

Millsap played with Derek Fisher with the Utah Jazz.

“I know Fish,’’ Millsap said. “I played with Fisher for a year. He’s always been a good friend for me — not surprised at all he’s coaching. A great guy, always been a great locker-room guy. Knows the game well. I knew it would happen at some point. ‘’

Adreian Payne dealt with plantar fasciitis during his senior season at Michigan State and is again bothered by the injury.

Payne has been listed inactive for the Atlanta Hawks' first two games of the season.

“It’s good,” Payne said. “We are just resting out. It’s something I’ve had before. It’s really not a big issue. It’s something that the coaching staff and training staff is trying to manage before it gets bad. I could play right now but we are being careful.”

Added Mike Budenholzer: “There is an opportunity here for us to be cautiously aggressive, is what I’m saying, and really look for his health long there and get him in a place where he is comfortable and able to play."