The Knicks met recently with free agent combo guard Tony Wroten, reports Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). The team has appeared to have some level of interest in Wroten since late December, when the Sixers released him, but his defense and unfamiliarity with the triangle have reportedly helped keep him unsigned. New York will have an open roster spot after Wednesday, the final day on Jimmer Fredette‘s 10-day contract, and the team is apparently keeping an eye out for young players as it ponders whether to re-sign Fredette or move on from him. Wroten doesn’t turn 23 until April.
Isola also pegs the freshly waived Ray McCallum as a candidate to replace Fredette on New York’s roster, though it’s unclear if the Knicks indeed have interest in the former Spurs point guard or if the idea is merely speculative. McCallum would first have to clear waivers, and New York, which has only the minimum salary exception at its disposal, is ineligible to claim him, since he’s on a three-year deal.
Wroten averaged 16.9 points in 30 games for the Sixers last season before he suffered a torn ACL in January 2015 that knocked him out until more than a month into this season. That scoring average was higher than what anyone else on the Sixers put up last year, but Philadelphia stunningly cut him just a few weeks after his return from the injury to accommodate its Christmas Eve trade for Ish Smith. The Heat have reportedly performed a due diligence check on Wroten, but he’s lingered in free agency and has publicly expressed a desire to play for the Knicks.