Union executive director Billy Hunter believes Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak should be eligible for Bird Rights because both players were claimed on waivers.

“Bird and Early Bird rights are among the most valuable rights that players have under the [collective bargaining agreement]," Hunter said. "These rights simply cannot be extinguished in the absence of an affirmative decision by a player to select a team through free agency. We will ask the arbitrator to resolve this dispute on an expedited basis.’’

The union is set for arbitration and has asked for resolution to “affirm the well-established proposition that whenever a player and his contract move from one team to another as a rule of an agreement between two teams, or through a waiver claim, the Bird rights of those players are preserved.’’

The Knicks hope to re-sign Lin and Novak without using their $5 million mid-level exception.