Elton Brand received interest from the New York Knicks last offseason and nearly signed with the team after speaking to Phil Jackson.
“It was at the deadline, at 12:01 a.m., then we spoke that morning,’’ Brand said. “It was surprising just because of his stature. It wasn’t surprising of what he was trying to do to rebuild that team and putting in that work. But it was surprising because he is who he is. It was like being in L.A. with the Clippers and all the championships he won when I was there.”
The Knicks offered Brand the veteran's minimum of $1.4 million, but the veteran forward chose to re-sign with the Atlanta Hawks on a $2 million deal.
“It definitely went down to the wire — the pros and cons,’’ Brand said. “Growing up in Westchester a big fan. It came down to the team. The team at this stage of my career, I knew what we had here, and we had a chance to go a little further. That’s what it came down to at the time.
“I got to make a decision if I’m going to play and come back. [The Knicks] are definitely on the radar for sure. Yeah, I’m thinking about it. Moving on to something else, but I still also love to play and still feel good. I’m going to look at both options.”