The New York Knicks have been awarded exclusive rights to negotiate with veteran guard Jason Williams through Aug. 6 after putting in a waiver claim Friday, according to NBA front-office sources.

In February, his agent, Dan Tobin, said the 10-year veteran was determined to come back in spite of the ruling that prevented Williams from latching on with a contender late last season.

"We anticipated this decision," Tobin said then. "So did Jason. But we look forward to seeing Jason back in the NBA in the 2009-10 season.

"One of the reasons we applied for reinstatement now was that we'd like to try to accelerate the process of him coming back."

Jamaal Tinsley is expected to meet with Heat president Pat Riley over the weekend.

"I gave my word to Pat Riley that he could meet with Jamaal before we made any commitment," Tinsley's agent, Raymond Brothers, told ESPN.com.

The Knicks and Grizzlies are interested in Tinsley as well. The free-agent point guard had a meeting with Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh, his former boss in the Indiana, on Wednesday.

Hakim Warrick has agreed to terms with the Milwaukee Bucks.  The athletic 6-9 Warrick can play both forward spots and figures to log heavy minutes in Milwaukee.

The Cavs and Sixers were also pursuing Warrick.  

The Bucks are nearing the luxury tax threshold but still have the rights to restricted free-agent Ramon Sessions.  The Knicks are reportedly close to offering Sessions some part of their mid-level exception in a multi-year deal.  The Bucks would have 10 days to match.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh and the agent for Allen Iverson, Leon Rose, met two weeks ago, according to a team source.

The pair discussed the possibility of Iverson joining the Knicks, who are still looking for a guard that can handle the ball.

New York coach Mike D'Antoni is believed to favor signing Bucks restricted free agent Ramon Sessions, and Walsh is unlikely to make Iverson an offer without an endorsement from D'Antoni.

Iverson, who is looking to salvage his career after a controversial, and short, stay in Detroit, could come cheaper than Sessions and would generate considerable buzz in New York.

Cablevision Systems Corp. revealed on Thursday that its board has approved a plan to spin off its Madison Square Garden business as a separate company.

The Madison Square Garden portion of Cablevision's business owns the New York Knicks and New York Rangers and the sports arena they call home.

The move was expected, as the company believes the separation will make it easier for investors because each company will now have distinct businesses.

James Dolan, Cablevision's chief executive, will take on the role of executive chairman of the spun-off Madison Square Garden group. Hank Ratner, Cablevision's vice chairman, will add the titles of president and CEO of the new company.

Marc Stein reports that the Knicks are on the verge of making an offer to restricted free-agent Ramon Sessions.
New York has all of its mid-level exception remaining and Donnie Walsh is reportedly prepared to give Sessions a longer-term contract with the aim of forcing the Bucks to let Sessions go.

"One trusted source insists that the Knicks believe they can extend Sessions far enough to dissuade Milwaukee from matching but without affecting their well-chronicled strategy to leave enough salary-cap space to recruit one maximum-salaried free agent in the summer of 2010," writes Stein.

The Bucks are competing with the Cavs and Sixers to sign forward Hakim Warrick.

UPDATE:  On his Twitter page, Andrew Marchand of ESPN Radio in New York writes that Sessions' agent said he plans to talk to the Knicks again on Monday.

On Twitter, Marc Stein writes about the Cavs' pursuit of the unrestricted free-agent Hakim Warrick.  The Bucks are also interested and may devote their resources to signing Warrick rather than matching any offer sheet Ramon Sessions signs with the Knicks.

Stein implies that this free-agent jockeying is prelude to the much-anticipated summer of 2010.

The Bucks have the ability to outbid Cleveland for Warrick if they wish, since the Bucks still have most of their mid-level exception while the Cavs have already signed Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon using almost all of their MLE.

But if the Cavs are able to lure Warrick to Cleveland, the Bucks may consider matching the Knicks' offer sheet, preventing Sessions from landing in New York.

Frank Isola reports that "within one day or two," Donnie Walsh is expected to decide between making a contract offer to Jamaal Tinsley or Ramon Sessions.

Tinsley is an unrestricted free-agent who will command a smaller salary than the restricted free-agent Sessions.  If the Knicks make an offer to Sessions, the Bucks would have seven days to match.  

It was reported earlier on Thursday that Walsh and Bucks' GM John Hammond spoke on Wednesday to discuss a possible sign-and-trade.

Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni met with former Pacers point guard Jamaal Tinsley on Wednesday as an exploratory contract conversation.

The Heat and Sixers are also interested in signing him.

Money was not reportedly discussed during the meeting, but Tinsley would likely sign for the veteran's minimum, around $1.2 million for one season.

According to a Twitter post by Gery Woelfel, who covers the Bucks for The Journal Times, John Hammond and Donnie Walsh spoke on Wednesday.

Woelfel believes that the subject of their conversation was the possibility of the two clubs completing a sign-and-trade deal.

The Knicks are known to have interest in Bucks' restricted free-agent Ramon Sessions.  The Knicks have two of their own restricted free-agents, David Lee and Nate Robinson, who remain in limbo.