KNICKS KEEP BAKER, NEED $$ FOR POINT

Hey, know any veteran point guards who want to work cheap? Real cheap?

The Knicks have about $1.5 million left in cap room after agreeing to a two-year, $8.9 million contract with Ron Baker, a deal confirmed by league sources following an ESPN report. Baker, as an undrafted rookie out of Wichita State last season, shot 37.8 percent and averaged 4.1 points.

Baker signed for the room exception — which is given to teams under the salary cap. The exception this year rose to $4.3 million. Baker had reached an agreement to return to the Knicks shortly after midnight July 1, when free agency began.

Suff ice to say $1 . 5 million will not land say, Rajon Rondo, who has been linked in several reports to the Knicks. Some sources, however, indicated the mutual attraction is not as strong as has been described.

The Knicks almost certainly need some sort of trade to open space for a veteran guard to help first-round pick Frank Ntilikina through the growing pains. The biggest avenue has been pursuing a trade of Carmelo Anthony, whose exit path provides few options because of his notrade clause.

The most common spot where Anthony has been linked is Houston, where he could join forces with pal Chris Paul. But the return that has been reported extensively would be Ryan Anderson, a 29-year-old stretch four still due $60 million over three years after signing a four-year, $80 million deal last year.

Nene, a former Anthony teammate in Denver, posted — then removed — a picture of his friend in a Rockets uniform Monday.

Anderson as the primary return has not been met with overwhelming joy by the Knicks, so one possible scenario is to engage a third team with cap space and assets.

With the signing of Tim Hardaway Jr. — who, like Baker, was a restricted free agent — to a four-year, $71 million deal, the future of incumbent two-guard Courtney Lee also comes into play. A trade of Lee could also free up room for a veteran point, for which the options are dwindling. Original free-agent targets such as Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague and George Hill never were in play realistically.

Meanwhile, after former Cavaliers general manager David Griff in, who engineered a title in Cleveland, withdrew himself from consideration, reportedly because he would not have had definitive say in basketball decisions, every indication is the coronation of GM Steve Mills as team president is “a foregone conclusion,” one league source maintained. The search for a general manager for Mills’ soonto-be former post continues.