ATLANTA — Hawks swingman DeMarre Carroll, one of the unsung free agents on an unsung team, is not afraid of the big stage and revealed the Knicks will be a strong option for him in July.

The 6-foot-8 Carroll, who plays small forward but often defends shooting guards, is a candidate for one of the All-Defensive teams. He calls himself “Junkyard Dog.’’ He’s from Birmingham, Ala., but has no qualms about playing in New York, saying he knows coach Derek Fisher from working out with him in Woodland Hills, Calif., a few years ago.

According to a source, Fisher is high on Carroll, who had 16 points, four rebounds and three assists on Monday, and the defensive approach he brings to the court.

“Most definitely,’’ Carroll said when asked if the Knicks would be a high consideration.“When guys talk about playing in certain places — they talk about Madison Square Garden and Staples Center. Those two places. New York has a lot to offer but at the end of the season, I’ll let my agent do that. We’ll keep our options and hopefully it will work out for the best.’’

Carroll, who could be had for a starting salary in the $5 million range, has bounced around a lot, playing in Memphis, Houston, Denver and Utah before finding a solid fit in Atlanta’s defensive-oriented program under Coach of the Year candidate Mike Buldenhozer. Carroll says defense is important to him.

Carroll, the 27th pick by the Grizzlies in 2009, says he persevered and Fisher was a past source of encouragement during their workouts.

“Man, I just think it was about opportunity, understanding who you are and bettering yourself,’’ Carroll said. “Three things I focused on. I stayed true to who I was. That’s being a junkyard dog, doing the nitty-gritty things. Once I figured out the gritty work on defense will get me on the court, then I started working on my offensive game. It happened for a reason. If I could tell any of the young guys, stay true to who you are. Everyone wants to be the Kobe [Bryant] and Lebron James but you got to know your role.’’

Carroll’s agent is Mark Bartelstein, who represents three current Knicks — Tim Hardaway Jr., Lou Amundson and Jason Smith.

“My biggest thing is coming in and doing what I do and show people what I can do,’’ said Carroll, who entered Monday averaging 12.4 points, 5.4 rebounds on 49 percent shooting. “I think the team’s been winning and I’ve been playing my part. Basically being a junkyard dog. Free agency, that’s still a long ways. We’re trying to go deep in the postseason. My main focus is to go deep.’’

Fisher said he was close with Atlanta guard Thabo Sefolosha, who suffered a season-ending broken leg after a scuffle with police in the aftermath of last week’s Chris Copeland stabbing. Sefolosha and teammate Pero Antic were arrested afterward outside a Chelsea club. According to a source, the Players Association feels it has a good case that police were overly aggressive.

“That’s a key guy this team will miss,’’ said Fisher, who played with Sefolosha with the Thunder. “I’m disappointed for him and his family that it happened. It’s very unfortunate. There’ll be an investigation and we’ll find out later down the line what happened.”

Fisher on Atlanta’s turnaround from slipping into the playoffs last season as eighth seed to being No. 1 this season: “This doesn’t happen overnight. A lot of decisions have taken place we don’t even know about. It does happen with intention and purpose. A year ago, they made comments they aren’t celebrating, squeezing into the eighth spot. You could tell they weren’t satisfied.’’