News of the Kurt Thomas trade for shooting guard Quentin Richardson and a conditional future first-round draft pick broke early Thursday morning in a report from Christopher Reina on RealGM.com.

The Arizona Republic later quoted Richardson saying that Suns general manager Bryan Colangelo told him the deal was done but then pulled the story from its Web site in the afternoon.

The Knicks are considering a deal that would send Thomas, their sturdy power forward, to the Phoenix Suns for Quentin Richardson, a young shooting guard. The Knicks would also receive a conditional first-round draft pick from the Suns.

Officials from both teams confirmed the framework of the deal yesterday but did not want to be identified because the deal was not complete.

After the deal was reported yesterday by RealGM.com, Richardson confirmed the details to The Arizona Republic. Richardson said he was told of the trade by his agent and by Suns General Manager Bryan Colangelo.

"It definitely is a shock, but I also understand it's a business decision," Richardson, who signed a six-year deal last July, told The Republic.

Thomas, an avid Web surfer, said that he learned of the deal from the RealGM.com report and that his agent had confirmed the talks.

"I just know there's a deal on the table," Thomas said by cellphone from Dallas, his hometown. "I can't comment on anything until it's official. And it's not official yet."

Most likely, the trade has been delayed. Knicks officials said there were discussions but no deal last night, and when Thomas was contacted yesterday, he said he had "no idea" if the deal would go through. "I've heard about it, but I'm just sitting back and waiting to see if something will happen," the 10-year veteran said.

When last season ended, Thomas hinted that he might ask for a trade, but yesterday he said, "I never asked."