Raymond Felton will apparently return to the team he played his best NBA basketball with, the New York Knicks.

The New York Daily News'

that the Knicks have obtained Felton via a sign-and-trade with Portland that will also send veteran big man Kurt Thomas to New York.

In return, the Blazers will obtain veteran big men Dan Gadzuric and Jared Jeffries from the Knicks as well as a 2016 second-round draft pick.

Multiple news outlets had reported that the Knicks plan to obtain Felton through a sign-and-trade with the Blazers. Yahoo's Marc Spears

. Mark

he spoke to Felton, who said a deal is about to be completed.

Spears reports that the

, then send him to the Knicks.

Felton's agent, Tony Dutt, could not be immediately reached for comment, and Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey was not immediately available.

The 6-foot-11 Jeffries has played 10 seasons in the NBA and started 335 of the 591 games he has played. Last season, he averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 39 games for the Knicks, including four starts. Jeffries, 30, is an unrestricted free agent, so his inclusion would be through a sign-and-trade.

Gadruzic, who played at UCLA, also is 6-11 and has played 10 years in the NBA, including his first eight with Milwaukee. He was not on an NBA roster at the start of the 2011-12 season and spent part of it in the NBA Development League before the Knicks signed him on April 20 to help make up for a shortage of big men. He appeared in two games.

Gadzuric, 34, signed for the remainder of the 2011-12 season and and 2012-13, but his $1.35 million salary for next season is not guaranteed.

The Knicks, who are over the salary cap, needed help to obtain Felton. Earlier this month, the New York Daily News reported that the

that would send guard Toney Douglas to Portland.

Since then, however, the Knicks signed veteran point guard Jason Kidd and were apparently prepared to match an offer sheet from Houston to retain restricted free agent Jeremy Lin. However, the

-- for three years and $25 million -- is back-loaded to pay Lin $15 million in the third year, which would put the Knicks over the luxury tax threshold for the 2014-15 season.

The deal for Felton is considered a sign that New York will let Lin go to the Rockets.

Felton played for the Knicks for 54 games in 2010-11 and averaged 16.0 points and 8.5 assists before he was traded to Denver as part of the mammoth Carmelo Anthony deal. However, his strong numbers came under coach Mike D'Antoni, who runs a free-wheeling offense. D'Antoni was fired March 14 and replaced by his assistant, Mike Woodson, who was given a reported two-year extension, with a third year option, after the season.

This past season, Felton came to the Blazers, who hoped he could be the catalyst for a faster-paced style, However, Felton and coach Nate McMillan didn't click, and Felton averaged 11.4 points and 6.5 assists and shot 40.7 percent from the field, including 30.5 percent from three-point range. He became an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The trade also reunites Felton and Thomas with center Marcus Camby, their teammate in Portland. Camby and Thomas also were teammates on the Knicks 14 years ago.

Thomas, 39, appeared in 53 games for Portland and averaged 3.0 points and 3.5 rebounds. He has one year and $1.35 million left on the two-year deal with signed with Portland in December.

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