Chris Paul to the Knicks: New NBA Deal Opens Up Move for Point Guard to New York

The NBA's new Collective Bargaining Agreement paves a perfect path for the New York Knicks to land Chris Paul.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News made that exact point on the heels of the players and owners tentatively agreeing to the framework of a deal, and it's one that's certainly worth noting.

“Extend-and-trade and sign-and-trade are both available,” says one prominent player agent, “then it should help Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Dwight Howard all be able to have leverage to move teams this year if they so choose.”

This has been the plan for a while. Ever since the Knicks were able to execute a trade that landed Carmelo Anthony to pair alongside Amar'e Stoudemire, all eyes have been fixated on the club's next target: CP3.

Yes, this is a response to Miami. Yes, this is New York looking to build a three-headed monster of its own to have a realistic chance of competing for a title in the near future.

And yes, this is something that almost everyone knows the team is looking to bring to fruition.

Ever since Paul gave a toast at Anthony's wedding talking about forming their own dream team in New York, speculation has run rampant that the Knicks will ultimately land the elite point guard.

The fact that extend-and-trade deals are allowed to be executed for the upcoming season has serious repercussions for the premier players listed above, but for the Knicks it's an especially promising development considering how sorely the club needs a long-term answer at the point guard position.

As great of players as Anthony and Stoudemire are, there's no realistic chance the team can compete with Miami, Chicago and even Boston with the team as it is currently constructed.

Adding Paul would make the dream come true for both the Knicks and the team's fan base, but it won't be an easy accomplishment by any stretch of the imagination.

If the team is able to pull off the coup and bring Paul, Anthony and Stoudemire together under the roof of Madison Square Garden, it will make for some of the most exciting basketball that building has ever seen.