Failing to complete a trade this offseason, the Knicks are believed to have greatly increased their chances of acquiring one of their main targets when they exchanged Nazr Mohammed with Kurt Thomas in the team's proposed sign and trade for Warrior Erick Dampier, the New York Daily News is reporting.

The deal on the table for Golden State GM Chris Mullin to consider now consists of Thomas and Othella Harrington for Dampier.

The Knicks, Pacers and Grizzlies have all been vying for Dampier but are over the cap, while the Atlanta Hawks are under the cap and have made an offer to the free agent center according to sources.

Chris Mullin reportedly backed out of a tentative agreement to sign and trade center Erick Dampier to the Knicks for Nazr Mohammed and Othella Harrington.  The reason became evident when he managed to trade Nick Van Exel to the Blazers, who he was trying to add to the Dampier deal.  

There has been word that Isiah Thomas still wants Dampier, but Mullin has made it clear that he will not cooperate unless he gets worthwhile personnel in return.

With his options limited, Erick Dampier has another potenital suitor in the Phoenix Suns, especially if the L.A. Clippers match the contract offered to Richardson.  With many eyebrow raising contracts being signed this offseason, Dampier was expecting to find a very lucrative one, but thus far he has suffered a few missteps.

Also in an interesting scenario of deja vu, there has been talk that the sign and trade deal involving Dampier being shipped to Memphis is being discussed.

The Warriors are reportedly not positioning themselves for a big run in next year's free agency market, but the following one, when Yao Ming will become a free agent.  

According a Warriors insider: ``Mully's goal has been to clear enough cap space in two years to make a run at Yao Ming. That was a big reason he wanted to get out from under Jamison's contract.''

The trade rumors are still swirling around Warrior big man Erick Dampier.  And now with the Warrior?s recent acquisition of forward/center Dale Davis, it seems even more likely that Dampier will be dealt.

The question now becomes?to whom?

The Knicks have pursued Dampier the most intensely and were prepared to offer him a six-year deal starting at $9 million per season.  The Van Exel deal could affect the Knicks and their bid to pull off a sign-and-trade deal with the Warriors that would contain Nazr Mohammed and Othella Harrington.

The Hawks are also very interested; however they are unwilling to spend as much as the Knicks even though they have about $12-million in cap space to spend.

His options, however, are dwindling. The Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana were also interested in Dampier, but the Warriors reportedly wanted Stromile Swift from the Grizzlies or Jonathan Bender from the Pacers, two players those teams are unwilling to part with.

Given all the scenarios, the Knicks seem to have the upper-hand.  And with the free-agent frenzy that inflated many contract salaries now over, they might get him for a better price than originally expected.

The Warriors cleared room in their crowded backcourt this afternoon by trading Nick Van Exel to the Blazers for Dale Davis and Dan Dickau.  Both Van Exel and Davis will be free agents after this season, with their expiring contracts clearing cap room for both rebuilding teams.

Van Exel gets to start fresh again as he quickly wore out his welcome with the Warriors, due to injuries and public voicing of his displeasure with the organization.

The Warriors get a veteran frontcourt player in Oakland native Dale Davis, who can play both Center and Power Forward and will take a lot of pressure off Adonal Foyle and his new large contract.

Newsday's Greg Logan reports that even though Atlanta officials met with free agent center Erick Dampier yesterday, they are expected to leave him to the New York Knicks and shift their sights to restricted Grizzly free agent Stromile Swift.

Meanwhile Chris Mullin, general manager Dampier's Golden State Warriors, denied published reports which stated an agreement was in place with the Knicks should that be Dampier's preferred location, with big men Othella Harrington and Nazr Mohammed heading to the bay area.

"It's all speculation," Mullin told Bay Area reporters at a news conference introducing Warriors point guard Derek Fisher. "Nothing is imminent right now ... We're talking to several other teams. When something becomes clear, we're going to regroup and go from there."

The Hawks have cap room to sign Dampier to a maximum contract but Logan writes they may be leery of his work ethic, which is why they are turning their attention to Swift.  New York is offering Dampier a contract starting at $9 million per season.

According to KGW8, a TV station in Portland, the Warriors and Blazers have agreed to swap Nick Van Exel for Dale Davis and Dan Dickau.

If this deal does indeed go through, the biggest loser would be Erick Dampier, who was rumoured (by Peter Vescey)to be involved in a sign and trade deal that would send him (and his brand new 6 year, 71 million dollar contract) to New York for Nazr Mohammed and Othella Harrington. With Dale Davis on board, bringing in two more backup big men makes little sense for Golden State.

Golden State center Erick Dampier met with Atlanta Hawks general manager Billy Knight and new coach Mike Woodson on Monday in Salt Lake City, where the Hawks' summer league team is playing.

According to David Aldridge, it is unlikely that Dampier would accept Atlanta's offer, which is approximately $1 million less per season than what the Knicks offered to him.

The Knicks have structured a sign-and-trade deal with the Warriors that would have Golden State sign Dampier to a six-year contract, starting at $9 million per season, and then trade him to New York for forwards Nazr Mohammed and Othella Harrington.

An unexpected byproduct of the Warriors signing of Derek Fisher is that the Rockets, who were also courting Fisher, remain without a quality point guard.  This leaves the very available Nick Van Exel an option to join the Rockets, becoming a viable third scoring option.  Van Exel resides in Texas and has made it clear that he would welcome playing for any of the three Texas teams.

Other point guards being considered by the Rockets are Antonio Daniels and Kevin Ollie