Amare Stoudemire joins the New York Knicks
The New York Knicks have agreed terms with free agent star Amar’e Stoudemire after being told his signing would not affect their chase of superstar LeBron James.
The Knicks agreed to a five-year $99.7million contract with Stoudemire, the maximum he was eligible to receive under the current bargaining agreement. The framework for the deal was put forward last week but the Knicks didn’t offer the deal until they met face-to-face with Stoudemire and until they received reassurances from James’ people that the signing wouldn’t have affected their chances of signing the two-time league MVP.
Knicks team president Donnie Walsh was delighted to have signed Stoudemire.
"The fact that Amar'e really wanted to come here and stepped up front, it got to the point that we had to acknowledge that, that means something to us,” Walsh said.
Stoudemire, who averaged 21.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and one block per game last year, will be reunited with his former coach at the Phoenix Suns, Mike D’Antoni. Though the two have had disagreements in the past, those were put to bed in a meeting earlier this week. Stoudemire hopes his signing will persuade more free agents to join him in New York – the Knicks have enough salary cap room for one more max contract free agent.
“I feel great, really, about being a pioneer, it's a situation where no one wanted to make that first move, and I felt confident enough to take that first step,” the All-Star said.
Asked whether he would talk to James about coming to New York, Stoudemire said he would definitely reach out to him and other players.
“Hopefully now we can bring in a few guys to join us. I'm definitely going to reach out to him again and see if we can get him to come. I really have no reading on which way he is leaning at all, but again, he's totally open right now, he hasn't made a decision yet, and hopefully I can get him to choose us," Stoudemire said.
The 27-year-old had spent his entire career with the Phoenix Suns, but after failing to agree on a new deal that relationship ended and now Stoudemire joins the team which passed on him in the 2002 NBA draft.
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