Knicks G Felton expected to avoid jail

New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton is expected to plead guilty to a felony gun possession charge in a deal that will keep him out of jail.

Felton was in a Manhattan court on Monday in hopes of resolving the gun case that came about the same time his marriage was breaking up. He is expected to enter his plea on June 30 and receive a $5,000 fine and 500 hours of community service.

“We thank the (Manhattan) district attorney for focusing on the facts, and only the facts,” said Felton’s lawyer, Jim Walden, in a statement.

Felton was arrested in February. He turned himself in after a game against the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden. His wife’s lawyer brought a loaded semi-automatic handgun to a police precinct and claimed it belonged to Felton and that she wanted it out of their house. His wife, law student Ariane Raymondo-Felton, filed for divorce the week prior to that.

Felton was charged with a weapon possession offense that comes with a possible seven-year prison term.

The NBA may wait until the case is resolved before imposing a fine and/or suspension for Felton.

Felton, who turns 30 on Thursday, averaged a career-low 9.7 points last season. He missed 17 games due to injuries. He is set to earn $3.8 million next season and has a $4 million option in 2015-16. Knicks president Phil Jackson denied earlier reports that the team planned to trade Felton this summer.