The NBA lockout may keep the Knicks from making player moves, but that didn’t stop them from cutting a familiar face loose on Thursday when it was announced Spike Lee would not have his season tickets renewed.

People close to Lee believe he was forced out by the Knicks in an effort to bring in a new, more relevant fan to market around the team, like the Nets did with Jay-Z.

The decision reportedly came down when a 9-year-old child asked Knicks owner James Dolan if they sold Halloween costumes of Spike, “the funny Knicks mascot.”

“About time. He’s what we like to call a mush,” said fellow season ticket holder Louie Orsetti. “What have we won since he’s been sitting there? Squadoosh, that’s what. He started wearing the Fields jersey, and the kid was garbage in the second half.”

Madison Square Garden underwent massive renovations this summer. One of the main focuses of the fix-up was to eliminate Spike’s seat altogether.

“It’s in my basement,” said construction worker Phil Ward. “I’ll sit in it whenever I watch one of his great movies. So, I’ll sit in it never.”

Lee, a lifelong Knicks fan, released a statement through his publicist early Thursday morning thanking the Knicks for “four great seasons in the last 25 years, as well as insomnia, fits of rage and chronic ulcers.”

It is unknown at this time who will step up as the Knicks’ new famous fan, but word on the street indicates management is “courting” comedian Dane Cook in a misguided attempt at relevance.

Conz