Chris Paul is not interested in signing an extension with the Celtics, according to a source close to the situation.

Boston has been mentioned as a team that is angling to execute a trade for Paul.

Chris Broussard reported on Monday that Paul's preference is to end up with the Knicks and that he would also consider the Clippers.

Chris Paul was in Brooklyn on Tuesday in support of a Carmelo Anthony charity event at the Boys & Girls Club.

Paul was asked about the Knicks.

"My heart is in New Orleans," said Paul.

ESPN's Chris Broussard reported on Monday that Paul's preference is to end up with the Knicks.

Glen Grunwald is likely to be the interim general manager of the Knicks this season, according to several scouts.

The team has yet to formally interview any candidates despite a statement from James Dolan in June to the contrary.

Grundwald has been with the Knicks since Isiah Thomas hired him in 2006.

Former GMs John Gabriel and Mark Warkentien support Grunwald, while Allan Houston is the GM of the Knicks' D-League affiliate and is being groomed for the job.

The difference between Carmelo Anthony’s existing contract and the one he could have received as a free agent under the rules of the new collective bargaining agreement comes out to a total of $5.8 million over the same four years.

$82.69 million is the total value of Anthony’s existing contract, which arose out of the extend-and-trade transaction sending Anthony from Denver to the Knicks before the trade deadline last season. Had Anthony opted to terminate his contract and become a free agent in the coming days, he would have been eligible for a maximum-salary contract of $76.89 million over a period from this 2011-12 season through the 2014-15 season, the identical term of his existing contract. 

Note that the extension Anthony did sign was built off the $18.52 million option year he held in this 2011-12 season. Any new free-agent max deal would have reset and started at $18.01 million. That lower starting point and the lesser annual raises of 4.5% – compared to the 10.5% annual raises that governed Anthony’s contract under the previous CBA – account for the $5.8 million of compensation that Anthony would have lost by becoming a free agent on December 9. Essentially Anthony would have taken a seven percent reduction in pay.

In the months before the trade to New York, Anthony gave mixed signals about his willingness to wait for free agency and risk a new salary cap that could significantly decrease his earning capacity. But it was believed that Anthony’s representatives at Creative Arts Agency were determined that their client would have the security of a signed deal before the CBA expired. The Nets were in the hunt to trade for Anthony and extend his contract, and the Nuggets reportedly preferred the Nets’ offer, both teams hoping anxiety about the impending labor dispute would compel Anthony to sign off on a move to New Jersey. 

At the time, some at ESPN were predicting that Anthony could face dramatic salary compression approaching $40 million if he passed on the extension and tested free agency this season.

Existing Contract Under Previous CBA

$18,518,574
$19,444,503
$21,388,953
$23,333,456 
------------
$82,685,486 

Hypothetical Contract Under New CBA

$18,006,705 
$18,817,007
$19,627,309
$20,437,611 
------------
$76,888,632

The New York Knicks are Chris Paul's preferred destination, according to sources.

Paul is willing to wait until becoming a free agent next summer to sign with the Knicks.

Paul would also consider signing with the Clippers, but their first is to sign Dwight Howard with their cap space.

Kurt Thomas could end up with either the Knicks, Bulls, Heat or Mavericks.

“That’s the great thing about free agency,” Thomas said Monday. “A lot of things can happen. Teams have to make a decision on players but I also have a say in where I might end up.”

Thomas spent the 10-11 season with the Bulls.

Thomas was a longtime member of the Knicks before he was traded in 2004 to the Suns. 

Amar'e Stoudemire will not host a camp for his Knicks teammates in Florida after all.

Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups were not in favor of the idea, according to sources. They wanted to hold workouts in the New York area instead of Florida.

"There's no time," one source said of the camp, which Stoudemire hoped to begin as early as Thursday.

Jamal Crawford has officially signed with New Jersey-based agent Andy Miller.

Crawford prefers returning to the New York area if he does not re-sign with the Atlanta Hawks, according to a source.

Crawford would almost certainly need to be acquired by the Knicks in a sign-and-trade, though their first choice is to save assets and cap space to pursue Chris Paul or Dwight Howard.

The Nets would appear to be the better fit for Crawford, a team that has lacked offensive weapons.

Amar'e Stoudemire is looking to organize a minicamp for his Knicks' teammates beginning as early as Thursday, according to sources.

The minicamp will likely be held at the IMG facility in Florida with all expenses covered.

The owners dropped their insistence that extend-and-trade deals be excluded from a new collective bargaining agreement. This was commonly referred to as the Carmelo Anthony Rule.

This will allow 2012 free agents Dwight Howard, Deron Williams and Chris Paul to leverage their way to new situations while being eligible to sign four-year extensions.