The Knicks are looking at trading up for University of Nevada point guard Armon Johnson in a move that could eat up precious salary-cap space but give them a much-needed floor general, a source debriefed on team discussions told The Post.
For months, team president Donnie Walsh has considered trading up late into the first round for a player the Knicks really like, one they project as a rotation player next season.
The issue wasn’t the roughly $2 million it will cost to buy a first-rounder, but eating up the $1 million salary from their precious $34 million cap space.
With $34 million to play with, enough for two maximum contracts plus change, the Knicks feel if the skill player or a floor-leading point guard were available, they would try to make the move.
The Knicks have two second-round picks — the 38th and 39th selections overall — and would be willing to trade one of those picks, plus $2 million, to move up. They feel Johnson would make their rotation on a point guard-lite roster.
The Knicks are delighted with the offseason commitment made by Toney Douglas, being penciled in as their starting point guard after improving his jump shot this offseason. He probably is their best defensive player and, ironically, his rights were bought, too. The Knicks paid the Lakers $3 million for the 29th pick last year.
The Knicks love the way the 6-foot-3 Johnson can run a team — his size, strength, leadership and ability to get to the hole.
At Nevada, Johnson averaged 15.7 ppg and 5.6 assists last season. From the field he shot 49.5 percent, but only 24 percent from 3-point range.
The Knicks’ coaching staff wants to make a move toward having fewer undersized point guards. The drawback is Johnson’s outside shot and poor shot selection. One talent evaluator predicted his draft selection between 25 and 40. Based on his strong workouts, the Knicks feel he will be gone by 38.
“He’s a tough physical guard whose strengths are leadership, ability to run a team, defense and a good mid-range game,” one Eastern Conference personnel director said of Johnson. “But he’s got average range on his jumper.”
If things go their way with higher-ticket items such as LeBron James, the Knicks realize they probably won’t have cap room to sign a legitimate veteran point guard such as Luke Ridnaur, Steve Blake or Raymond Felton. They still will look into trading for San Antonio’s Tony Parker, a 2011 free agent, offering David Lee in a sign-and-trade, but that’s a long shot.
The Knicks have other favorites and feel the likeliest player not to fall to the second round is Iowa State’s Craig Brackins, a solid outside shooter. Brackins, a 6-9 power forward, would have been a top-15 pick last year, but his stock slipped after Iowa State sputtered last season.
Darington Hopkins is considered a clever shooting guard / small forward, but the Knicks are stacked in that area, and feel Bill Walker, after dropping 27 pounds this offseason, is a sure-fire rotation guy.
Then there is 6-5 Maryland point guard, Greivis Vasquez of Venezuela, very intriguing as a well-versed, scoring point guard, and there’s a considerable debate on whom makes the better point-guard fit.
Vasquez is a better outside shooter / scorer than Johnson but does not run a team efficiently and is a mediocre defender.
If the Knicks trade one of their second-rounders to trade up into the first round, it is a near certainty they will use the 39th pick on a traditional center.
They realize their desperate need for size on the roster, even if not a certified rotation player. The Knicks are high on German center, 7-1 Tibor Pleiss, Radcliffe’s Artsiom Parakhouski and haven’t ruled out Greg Zoubek, Duke’s burly pivot.
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As expected, Eddy Curry picked up his contract option for next season. Curry told The Post he won’t accept a buyout, but hopes to be released if the Knicks don’t have him in their rotation plans.