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Rumor: Knicks in the market for Tyrus Thomas?

This sort of came out of the blue, but Adrian Wojnarowski's a reputable fellow. From Yahoo Sports, Woj's most recent piece focuses on the Bulls' options to ditch Tyrus Thomas. Sure enough, the Knicks are mentioned.

Several sources believe the Bulls are agreeable to a package of Thomas and Jerome James for Knicks forward Al Harrington. Thus far, Walsh has resisted parting with Harrington, but discussions are still active and the teams have explored different combinations in recent days that would ultimately deliver Thomas to the Knicks.

"Nothing is imminent, but both sides would like to figure out a way to do this," one league executive briefed on the talks told Yahoo! Sports.

The Bulls are determined to shed more salary-cap space for the summer of 2010, and believe Harrington’s ability to score coupled with a $10.2 million expiring contract make this a worthy exchange. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni has long been fond of Thomas, a 6-foot-9 forward whose nimbleness and athleticism makes him an intriguing fit for New York.

Forgive me for getting caught up in the fine print, but...Jerome James!?

As for the actual meat of the deal...I just don't know. Harrington's an expiring contract and Thomas is, I believe, a restricted free agent this summer. If the Knicks were to trade for him then let him walk, it could be a wash financially, though it's hard to see the logic of making such a move unless you're actually interested in keeping the incoming player. As far as actual output, Harrington's tendency to swallow the rock on offense has had P&T up in arms all season. Thomas is more athletic and capable of blocking a shot now and then, which is something we've been missing. Very interesting. Does this sparkle with all you crazy kids? Tyrus has always struck me as someone either love or hate, although I've never really felt that strongly one way or the other about him.

In closing...Jerome James!?

Update: I forgot to mention that Thomas is a few weeks away from returning from a fractured arm. Also, adding two more players with last names that end in "S" might make me rip the apostrophe key off my computer.