The Suns are set on exploring the possibility of going after Michael Finley on the free agent market, a league source said Tuesday. The Mavericks bought out Finley for $51 million as a way to avoid paying the NBA's luxury tax. A number of teams with expensive contracts are doing the same thing because of a provision in the new collective bargaining agreement.

The Suns could use a shooter now that Quentin Richardson is going to New York for center-forward Kurt Thomas.

The Suns drafted Finley in 1995. He left in December, 1996 as part of the big trade that brought Jason Kidd from Dallas to the Suns.

The Phoenix Suns solidified their frontline by acquiring 10-year NBA veteran Kurt Thomas from the New York Knicks today in exchange for swingman Quentin Richardson and the draft rights to Nate Robinson, the 21st pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. The Knicks also traded to Phoenix the draft rights to guard/forward Dijon Thompson, the 54th pick.

Last season Thomas averaged 11.5 points, a career-high 10.4 rebounds (T-6th in the NBA), 2.0 assists and shot .471 from the floor in 35.7 minutes. He joined Suns All-Stars Steve Nash and Shawn Marion as one of only nine NBA players who averaged a double-double (and qualified among the league leaders). The 6-9, 235-pound forward/center was tied for third in the NBA with 661 total defensive rebounds, trailing only Minnesota?s Kevin Garnett and Marion, and his 32 double-doubles ranked 12th in the league.

Thomas, originally selected by the Miami Heat with the 10th pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, owns career averages of 10.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 627 games (463 starts) with three teams (Miami, Dallas, New York). He averaged double figures in points in each of the last five seasons, including a career-high 14.0 scoring average in 2002-03, and has ranked in the top 20 in rebounding in each of the last four seasons. The 32-year-old has improved with age, averaging 12.2 points and 8.5 rebounds in 400 games over the last five seasons after averaging 8.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 227 games in his first five seasons.

A member of the Knicks? 1999 Eastern Conference Championship team, Thomas averaged 13.7 points and 11.3 rebounds on .479 shooting over his last two postseasons in nine games (2001, 2004) and averaged 6.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 48 career playoff games with Miami and New York.

The Suns? proposed trade of Quentin Richardson and a first-round draft pick to New York for Kurt Thomas "is losing steam," an NBA source said Monday night.

The trade is believed to be in trouble because of questions about the insurability of Richardson's contract. Richardson struggled with back problems at times when he played for the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Suns offered Richardson a six-year deal worth $43.5 million last summer, a deal the Clippers declined to match.

Under the proposed terms of the trade, the Suns also would send the Knicks a first-round pick as early as next year.

They would get Thomas, who can play both center and forward. With the Suns, he could either start at center or back up at both positions.

Thomas, who turns 33 in October, averaged a double-double for the first time this season: 11.5 points and 10.4 rebounds.

He has three years and about $22 million left on his contract.

After a Friday review of the insurance documents connected to Quentin Richardson's $48 million contract, the Knicks have discovered they are not insured if he sustains a career-ending, back-related injury, The Post has learned from a Western Conference source.

That supposed minor issue involving insurance injury protection has grown into a big one. The Knicks will not take on Richardson's contract unless it's insured. Insurance picks up roughly 75 percent of a contract in the event of a career-ending injury. Richardson missed 17 games in 2003-004 and three this past season with back spasms.

The Knicks are confident the Kurt Thomas-for-Richardson trade will happen, but the lack of contract insurance stands as a potential deal-breaker. One person familiar with the situation said it could take "a week, two weeks, a month" before being resolved.

Problem is, the Suns are not required to make Richardson available for a physical until the deal is consummated. Hence, the Knicks likely have no means of getting insurance on their own.

The trade is not expected to go down before tomorrow's draft at Madison Square Garden, but it does not effect the Knicks' draft strategy. Multiple sources have told The Post the center-starved Knicks will take 6-11 Arizona pivot Channing Frye with the eighth pick if he slips past Utah at No. 6 and Toronto at No. 7. The Knicks believe he will.

Gary Payton listed the Suns among his three favorite options in this year?s free agent market, along with Sacramento and returning to Boston.

Payton, speaking on the "Best Damn Sports Show Period," said he wasn?t planning on taking Steve Nash?s place, but that, "I will play next to him. I will play with him. They run-and-gun like me, so I want to run and gun, give him a little break."

Though the Suns would seem to have greater needs up front to spend their money on, "Someone as good as he is, you have to think about it," D?Antoni said.

The New York Knicks are holding off on the Quinten Richardson/Kurt Thomas trade after the Phoenix Suns failed to furnish insurance papers on Richardson, specifically in regard to a back injury he sustained while playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, a paranoia no doubt coming as a result of the Allan Houston debacle.

The back injury caused Richardson to miss 17 games in the 2003-04 season while with the Clippers.

The Knicks were still waiting for the paperwork as of Friday.  Without the insurance papers in their hands the deal will not go through.

Knicks officials have declined to comment publicly on the proposed deal, and yesterday, Isiah Thomas, the team president, cancelled a scheduled conference call with reporters for a second straight day.

LeBron James would like to have some input on which players the Cavaliers go after in this summer?s free agency market set to begin next week.

On the top of Lebron?s list of Cavalier potential pick-ups are: Phoenix?s Joe Johnson, Milwaukee?s Michael Redd, Seattle?s Ray Allen, Washington?s Larry Hughes and Chicago's Eddy Curry, all shooting guards with the exception of the Bulls big man.  All big names in the 2005 free agent market, with each player demanding a max contract or close to it.

Johnson will not be available because the Suns are certain to resign the shooting guard with the departure of Quentin Richardson.

Salim Stoudamire, cousin of Portland?s Damon Stoudamire thinks the Suns high-octane can make good use of his shooting skills.

The Suns, however, would rather draft Kansas forward Wayne Simien who is bigger and reportedly has a better attitude.

"If I have to pick a guy on character alone, I'd pick Wayne," said Dick Van Arsdale, Suns senior executive vice president.

The 6'1" Salim was a great shooter for the University of Arizona but is a second-round pick at best.

Now that the San Antonio Spurs' season has drawn to a close, Danny Ferry is expected to give Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert an answer today on whether he'll become the team's next general manager writes Brian Windhorst of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Two people close to Ferry said Thursday that he still wasn't 100 percent sure he would take the job, but was leaning that way.

If Ferry does accept the position, it might increase the chance the team will re-sign center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Ilgauskas and Ferry have been close friends since they were Cavalier teammates. It is also believed coach Mike Brown and LeBron James have told ownership they'd like to see Ilgauskas re-signed.

The Cavaliers were potentially dealt a setback in the free-agent market Thursday, when the Phoenix Suns sent guard Quentin Richardson to the New York Knicks for forward Kurt Thomas.

The move clears the deck for the Suns to match any offers for Joe Johnson, whom the Cavaliers were targeting as a free agent.

In addition, the team had previously been in talks with the Knicks about trading Drew Gooden for Thomas.

According to league insiders, the Cavaliers also have been actively trying to trade swingman Jiri Welsch before next Tuesday's draft, either to acquire a pick or a free up salary-cap space.

As first reported by RealGm.com, the Knicks and Suns agreed to their second trade in 17 months with Kurt Thomas being shipped to Phoenix for 6-6 swingman Quentin Richardson and a protected, future first-round pick.

The first-round pick can be used by the Knicks at the earliest in 2007 but is protected beyond the lottery. The delay in announcing the deal involved a minor insurance issue regarding a prior Richardson back injury that's not likely to kill the deal.

For months, Isiah Thomas has said he's planning as if Allan Houston is not on the team next season. A new collective bargaining agreement clause paves the way for the potential waiving of the arthritic-kneed Houston. The Knicks would be liable for the two years and $40 million left on his contract but would not have to pay additional dollar-for-dollar luxury tax on the salary (another $40M). The Knicks can't approach Houston with the idea until mid-July when the CBA is signed.

Richardson, who signed a five-year, $37 million deal last July, will likely start at shooting guard with Jamal Crawford going to the bench. With the trade, the Knicks took on $15 million in future salary.