After some talk between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers on a sign-and-trade that would send Steve Nash to the Lakers, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports is reporting the New York Knicks are now close to landing the two-time Most Valuable Player.

Reports indicate the Knicks would send Iman Shumpert, Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson and Jerome Jordan to Phoenix for Nash, who will make $25-$30 million over the next three seasons.

While it looked like Nash would make his way to the Toronto Raptors for a while, the opportunity for one more legitimate shot at a championship with the Knicks’ existing core of Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler looks too good to pass up.

The Toronto Raptors are still clinging to their hopes of landing Nash, even signing Landry Fields in an attempt to make it even more difficult for the Knicks to land Nash. Bryan Colangelo has stated, “We gave it our best shot,” when asked about the reports of the Nash to Knicks deal nearing completion.

While the Knicks did not want to part ways with Iman Shumpert after a fine rookie season, the opportunity to add Nash to their mix is enough to send him to Phoenix. Shumpert continues to rehab after tearing his ACL and will miss a significant portion of the 2012-13 season.

With Jeremy Lin coming off a season of “Linsanity,” he is meeting with the Houston Rockets today, as HOOPSWORLD’s Alex Kennedy reports. Houston is expected to make an offer to Lin for his service that is back-loaded, attempting to make New York think twice about matching the offer.

The Knicks have stated they will match any offer Lin receives to keep him in New York. If so, it looks as if Lin will have the opportunity to learn from one of the best point guards in NBA history.

Stay tuned to HOOPSWORLD for updates as they come.