Knicks and Nets" Plans Complicated by Suddenly Expensive Wing Players Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images The Nets wanted Kevin Korver, but he has reportedly agreed to return to the Hawks. If the Knicks and the Nets are stymied in their free-agent pursuits this summer, if they reach opening night without a viable sixth man or a 3-point shooting ace, they can blame J. J. Redick. If they want to be fair, they can blame Kevin Martin and Martell Webster, too. The market for wing players - the shooting guards and the small forwards, the scorers, the defenders, the slashers and the shooters - has become overheated in the opening days of N.B.A. free agency. Redick will join the Los Angeles Clippers for a reported $27 million over four years. Martin is heading to the Minnesota Timberwolves for $30 million over four years. Webster will get $22 million over four years to stay in Washington, and Tony Allen will get $20 million over four years from the Memphis Grizzlies. Each of them will be averaging at least $5 million a season. Only one (Martin) has ever averaged more than 15 points a game. The heady dollar figures, for a group of strictly complementary players, has surprised some longtime team executives. "It does seem a little heated," one general manager said. It is not a welcome development for the Nets and the Knicks, who are each trying to secure the services of a coveted swingman, with limited resources. The Knicks are working to retain J. R. Smith, the N.B.A."s sixth man of the year, who is drawing interest from other teams that can outbid them. Some published reports on Wednesday indicated that Smith was ready to re-sign with the Knicks, but his father, Earl Smith, told The New York Post that they were holding out for a bigger deal and would wait another two days to decide. And even if the Knicks succeed in keeping Smith, they will still need another quality shooting guard or small forward and will have only the $3.18 million cap exception to spend. The Nets had hoped to land Kyle Korver, one of the league's top 3-point shooters, but their initial optimism was swiftly crushed by market forces. By Wednesday morning, they learned they had fallen out of the running for Korver's services. By the evening, Korver had reportedly agreed to return to the Atlanta Hawks, for $24 million over four years. The most the Nets can offer a free agent is that $3.18 million exception, or $9.98 million over three years. When free agency opened on Monday, that was considered a reasonable bid for Korver, who averaged 10.9 points a game last season for the Hawks. Korver converted 45.7 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, the second-best mark in the league. But Korver is 32, with a limited skill set. Given the N.B.A."s new salary-cap restrictions, it seemed a safe bet that his earnings would decrease from the $5 million he made last season. The Nets surely thought so. On Monday morning, Deron Williams, their star point guard, posted a photo on Twitter showing Korver in a black Brooklyn jersey. What do you guys think? Perfect match," Williams wrote. Williams and Korver share the same agent, which only fueled the speculation that a deal was inevitable. Then came Tuesday. Redick, like Korver, is primarily a 3-point shooter. His new deal with the Clippers will pay $6.75 million a year. Webster, who is known as both a stout defender and 3-point specialist, will earn $5.5 million a year with the Wizards. Even Chase Budinger, the 44th pick in the 2009 draft, will earn more than $5.3 million a year in his new deal with the Timberwolves (three years, $16 million). The most the Knicks can pay Smith is about $24.5 million over four years - or $6.13 million per season - using his early-Bird rights. Teams linked to Smith have included the Milwaukee Bucks, the Detroit Pistons, the Charlotte Bobcats, the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks. All of them have enough cap room to top any offer the Knicks could make. The Rockets and the Mavericks, who are both chasing Dwight Howard, could spend some of their cap room on Smith if they are spurned. Smith has expressed a preference to stay in New York. But most players follow the money, and Smith has never had a big-time payday, at least by N.B.A. standards. He earned $2.8 million this past season with the Knicks, a low sum for a player who averaged 18.1 points a game. Smith turns 28 in September. Given his age and his checkered history, this could be his last shot at a major, multiyear contract, which has to be a factor in any decision. Knicks fans can only hope that loyalty wins the day with Smith, and it appears that it might. As one passionate fan wrote on Twitter, if Smith were to stay, "that will be the most dedicated player to his city and team ever." The message was retweeted by Smith.