The Knicks and Bulls continued serious discussions yesterday about a sign-and-trade for Chicago free-agent center Eddy Curry, sources said.

Curry has told friends the Knicks are still in the mix. The deadline for Curry to re-sign with the Bulls for their one-year, $5.1 million qualifying offer has been pushed back from today to Monday.

The holdup in a Knick-Bull deal is the Bulls’ refusal to take one of the Knicks’ two first-round picks next year. The Bulls prefer a young player added to the package, such as David Lee or Trevor Ariza.

Michael Sweetney and Tim Thomas have been offered in a variety of packages.

Curry’s agent, Leon Rose, said: “There’s been a lot of discussions the last 48 hours with the Bulls regarding a sign-and-trade.”