The New York Knicks had interest in Dion Waiters in free agency but he ultimately decided to re-sign with the Miami Heat. Waiters signed a four-year, $52 million deal to stay with the Heat. 

Waiters met with Steve Mills during the offseason.

"They were talking, they were trying,’’ Waiters told The Post. "My agent was talking to them more than I was."

The Knicks eventually moved on to sign Tim Hardaway Jr.

"It was close to home and it’s New York, too," Waiters said. “It wouldn’t have been bad. It’s New York, the Garden. I went to Syracuse, man. So it’s like cool."

Chris Bosh plans on staying around the game and hasn't officially ruled out attempting to resume his playing career.

"I'm always going to be around the game of basketball," Bosh said. "I plan to keep my options open as a player moving forward, but that's not coaching. Maybe front office work, working with teams and spreading the game, maybe teaching the game to young people, that's something that's a very big passion."

Bosh said he would like to develop players that aren't obvious stars.

"I would want to work with guys that maybe aren't starters, guys that are the fourth or fifth option," Bosh said. "To be honest, I'm looking at today’s game and I put myself in that position and how I would benefit from the faster basketball, more threes, catch-and-go opportunities, attacking the paint with more space, that's what kind of gets me juiced up and riled up when I watch today's game. I would really want to teach someone how to function without having to have plays called for you."

Dwyane Wade was recruited by LeBron James to join him with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he's not sure if it was a move unanimously desired by the franchise.

The addition of Wade initially moved J.R. Smith to a reserve role.

“He wanted me here. I know that for a fact. I don’t know if the feeling was mutual all the way around. But I knew that somebody that I’ve won championships with before, someone I’m very good friends with, someone who I respected and loved to be with, loved to play with, wanted me to be here. I definitely took every team and every situation into consideration. Ultimately, I felt this would be the best for me,” Wade told Yahoo Sports.

Executives around the NBA believe the Philadelphia 76ers will attempt to sign LeBron James in free agency.

James is widely expected to become a free agent in 2018 though his eventual destination remains a speculative mystery. While James has also been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, signing with the 76ers would give James the opportunity to stay in the Eestern Conference and avoid teams like the Warriors, Rockets and Spurs.

The 76ers could fairly easily create enough salary cap space to sign James to a max contract starting at $34 million.

The 76ers would give James the opportunity to play with a talented young roster anchored by Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

James and Simmons share an agent in Rich Paul.

“The organization has done a great job believing in Brett Brown’s system, believing in what he wanted to do and they gave him time,” James said before the Cavaliers beat the Sixers 113-91 on Monday.

Derrick Favors hoped to sign a contract extension with the Utah Jazz heading into last season. Talks between the two sides never became serious as Utah was focused on re-signing Gordon Hayward and possibly extending George Hill.

Hill eventually declined Utah's extension offer and signed for less money with the Kings after they traded for Ricky Rubio.

"They wanted to re-sign Gordon, maybe extend George Hill," Favors says. "And I got hurt. I understand the business part of it. If they had come to me, I'd have been open to it."

Favors is in the final season of his contract and the Jazz appear to be pivoting away from him following the emergence of Rudy Gobert.

The Jazz could conceivably trade Favors though his market is expected to be limited.

Joe Johnson cited Rudy Gobert as a reason why he signed with the Utah Jazz during the summer of 2016.

Gobert has emerged as one of the NBA's best defensive players over the past few seasons and he's also added to his game on offense.

The Jazz cite Gobert as a star caliber player who doesn't require the ball in his hands.

"The reception we are getting in free agency has significantly changed in the last two years," Dennis Lindsey says. "Most players realize Rudy is a top-15 player who can anchor a defense."

Jahlil Okafor continues to wait for a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers so he can resume his NBA career. Okafor last played on Nov. 7th as Brett Brown has declined to play him during garbage time out of respect for his situation.

"I would like for them to just send me somewhere where I can get an opportunity," Okafor told ESPN. "I've done everything they've asked of me and I would just like to get an opportunity to play with a trade or a buyout. I just hope something happens quickly.

"This is my third year in the NBA, and I know it's a business. I don't know if it's fair or not, but in talking to other people in the NBA, talking to retired players, one thing I've heard them say is that what's going on with me isn't right and they've never seen anything like this before.

"I know it's business, but in my eyes, I don't know if it's good business."

Bryan Colangelo has continued to work the trade market for Okafor but hasn't found anything. The 76ers are seeking a second round pick as Colangelo has dropped his previous asking price of two first round picks and then one first round pick and a solid player. The 76ers declined any trades that would use up their cap space before extending Robert Covington.

"We appreciate the effort that [Okafor] has put forth, and other than a little frustration expressed recently, he's been patient waiting for an opportunity to play," Colangelo told ESPN. "I continue to explore opportunities with both Jahlil and [agent] Bill Duffy to find a more suitable spot for him."

Philadelphia declined Okafor's $6.2 million fourth-year option for 18-19.

While many teams have interest in Okafor as a long-term project, none are inclined to give up a second round pick. Bill Duffy and Okafor are pushing hard for a buyout. Colangelo is holding out the possibility that Okafor's $5 million salary could be packaged as part of a bigger deal before the Feb. 9 trade deadline, even if he can't find a singular move involving Okafor.

"This really sucks," Okafor told ESPN. "I want to play ball."

Derrick Rose is away from the Cleveland Cavaliers and considering his future playing basketball.

"He's tired of being hurt and it's taking a toll on him mentally," said a source with the Cavaliers.

Rose is currently out with an injured ankle. Rose has dealt with a variety of knee injuries since tearing his ACL in 2012. Rose has played in just 237 out of a possible 412 regular-season games.

The Cavaliers signed Rose to a one-year, $2.1 million deal in the offseason.

DeAndre Jordan has been discussed in trade talks between the Los Angeles Clippers and multiple teams.

Jordan can become a free agent this offseason and has been in extension talks with the Clippers. But the Clippers have been struggling after a fast start to the season. Jordan does not currently have an agent.

Lawrence Frank said last month that Jordan will be a “Clipper for life.”

The Clippers signed Blake Griffin to a five-year, $173 million deal this past offseason and may be reticent to committing additional long-term money if they begin a rebuild.

The New York Knicks signed Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year, $71 million offer sheet in restricted free agency that they thought the Atlanta Hawks might match. The contract was largely considered excessive when it was announced in July.

“There was that concern,” Jeff Hornacek said of the potential the Hawks would make a matching offer. “Tim had started to turn the corner in terms of being a great player. He finished last season having a very, very good second half. We knew that was the beginning. I don’t think there was concern bringing him back. (Steve) Mills did a great job of figuring out how to get him and what it might take. There was concern Atlanta might match it. When they didn’t, we were very happy.”

Hardaway’s scoring average is up to 18.4 points per game, while also averaging 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

The Knicks like having Hardaway and Courtney Lee on the wings.

“They’re both two-way players,” Hornacek said. “There’s a lot of talk Tim stepped up his defense since his rookie year. In Atlanta, they forced him to play defense. He’s doing a great job of that. Both guys feel comfortable. Tim at the 3 is undersized, but those two guys give us weapons on both sides of the floor.’’