With Kobe Bryant a long shot to land in New York, the Knicks will set their sights on acquiring Rashard Lewis via sign-and-trade.

Knick management believes it can reel in the all-star-caliber Lewis and contend in the East.  

Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed that the Knicks plan to pursue Lewis in a deal with the Sonics and Lewis seems to want to play in the limelight of New York.

"We're not going to set ourselves back," team president and head coach Isiah Thomas said. "We sit in a very comfortable position right now in terms of our base."

Thomas said that the East "is still going to be open."

"And until somebody makes some major changes or some major trades, I think you'll probably be looking at the same group of characters again," Thomas added. "Hopefully, we'll be one of the characters in the playoffs next year."

The Knicks feel Lewis' outside shot and skill set are the right fit next to Eddy Curry's inside game.

Several league sources tell Yahoo that the New York Knicks are the only team Kobe Bryant wants to be traded to.

"I think he would only go to New York," says one high-ranking Western Conference executive.

Willis Reed's New York Knicks jersey from his dramatic comeback in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals will be sold at auction June 5 as part of Sotheby's and SCP Auctions' sale of three single-owner collections.

After missing Game 6 against the Lakers, Reed limped out of the Madison Square Garden dressing room after the warmups and hit the first two shots of the game for New York in what became a runaway victory for the Knicks' first NBA title.

According to NBA insiders, the Knicks could make the Sonics a sign-and-trade offer for forward Rashard Lewis that could include Seattle natives Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford.

Crawford is owed $35 million over the next four seasons, and the Knicks could add Robinson's contract or that of Channing Frye to come within 75 percent of a new Lewis deal, per rules of the collective bargaining agreement.

Wilkens said Tuesday that the Sonics plan to sign Lewis, who opted out of his contract Friday and will be an unrestricted free agent July 1. To execute a sign-and-trade, the Sonics would have to sign Lewis to a new contract and then trade him.

The Sonics have the advantage in re-signing Lewis because they can offer him a six-year deal, compared with five for other clubs, and give Lewis 10.5 percent increases per season, compared with 8 percent for other clubs.

"He is a young player who was having a great year, and he wants to explore the market," Wilkens said. "Yes (there are plans to re-sign him). He is an asset for us. We still want him, and we're going to try everything we can get him signed."

The Knicks, however, have made Lewis a major priority.

The Knicks are set to swap picks with the Bulls as part of the Eddy Curry trade.  The team will give Chicago the ninth pick and New York would select at number 23 in the upcoming 2007 draft.

Isiah Thomas will speak to the media this week at the NBA's pre-draft camp, for the first time since the 2006-2007 season ended.

Thomas could try to include the pick in a deal for an established player.  Jermaine O'Neal, Pau Gasol, Rashard Lewis and even Kevin Garnett may be available.  But several people with knowledge of the situation say that Thomas is not very optimistic that he will be able to complete that kind of deal.  

That means the basketball world may be witness to another surprise Thomas selection.

6-7 swingman Derrick Byars of Vanderbilt and the 6-10 power forwards Josh McRoberts of Duke and Sean Williams of Boston College appear to be on Isiah's list.  Each will be invited to attend private workouts at the MSG Training Center next month.

Byars was the SEC player of the year and emerged from anonymity to develop into a projected first-round pick.

McRoberts is a versatile and tough big man who could grow next to Curry in the frontcourt.  

Williams is criticized for limited basketball IQ and off-the-court problems but has Renaldo Balkman-like athletic  gifts as well as a talent for shot-blocking.

New York is expected to have a busy off-season, with the potential of teams shopping the aforementioned all-star talent and the Knicks' need to figure out what to do with Steve Francis.

Sean Williams, a 6-foot-10 shot-blocking center who was kicked off the Boston College team in January for alleged marijuana use, will work out for the Knicks next month, according to a source.

Williams had 75 blocked shots in 15 games.

RealGM lists Williams being selected with Golden State's first round pick, the 18th overall.

The Knicks want to shop point guard Steve Francis, who wants a buyout.

Isiah Thomas is reluctant to buy him out because he still thinks Francis can play and also because of injury concerns for Stephon Marbury, Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford.

Despite Vince Carter's disappointing postseason, the Knicks still have interest in pursuing the Nets high-flyer if he becomes a free agent July 1, a source close to Isiah Thomas told The Post.

The Knicks plan to revisit trade discussions they held with the Nets before the Feb. 23 deadline.

"They will do their due diligence with him," the source said of Carter.

The Knicks would have to work out a sign-and-trade agreement with the Nets. The Knicks, however, are wary of Carter's reported interest in getting a 3-year, $60 million deal - which they consider a long-term investment on a 30-year-old on the downhill portion of his career.

Thomas has stated the Knicks are not looking to use their $5 million mid-level exception on a free agent and aren't interested in adding to the payroll and luxury-tax bill.

Before the trade deadline, the Knicks offered the Nets a package of Channing Frye, Malik Rose and Jerome James (the latter two of which own bad contracts for their production) for Carter. The Nets declined, though they like Frye. It is believed they also asked about rookie Renaldo Balkman, who would look great on the fastbreak with Jason Kidd.

The New York Post has learned one sharpshooter on the Knicks' radar should they keep the No. 23 pick is Rice University senior shooting guard Morris Almond, who will work out for the team in June.

"Almond's game is very similar to Allan Houston's," one NBA personnel director said. "He's probably the best outside shooter in the draft."

Scoring small forward Marcus Williams (Arizona) is another possibility at No. 23.

In the likely event that the Knicks won't be able to trade Steve Francis, they are dead set against buying out his contract, according to Ken Berger of Newsday.