The trade rumors are still swirling around Warrior big man Erick Dampier.  And now with the Warrior?s recent acquisition of forward/center Dale Davis, it seems even more likely that Dampier will be dealt.

The question now becomes?to whom?

The Knicks have pursued Dampier the most intensely and were prepared to offer him a six-year deal starting at $9 million per season.  The Van Exel deal could affect the Knicks and their bid to pull off a sign-and-trade deal with the Warriors that would contain Nazr Mohammed and Othella Harrington.

The Hawks are also very interested; however they are unwilling to spend as much as the Knicks even though they have about $12-million in cap space to spend.

His options, however, are dwindling. The Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana were also interested in Dampier, but the Warriors reportedly wanted Stromile Swift from the Grizzlies or Jonathan Bender from the Pacers, two players those teams are unwilling to part with.

Given all the scenarios, the Knicks seem to have the upper-hand.  And with the free-agent frenzy that inflated many contract salaries now over, they might get him for a better price than originally expected.