6:08pm: Hicks has officially signed his two-way contract, the Knicks announced on Twitter.
10:20am: Power forward Isaiah Hicks, who played on a two-way contract for the Knicks last season, is expected to sign a new two-way deal with the team soon, reports ESPN’s Ian Begley (Twitter link).
Hicks’ previous two-way contract only covered a single season, so the Knicks issued the 23-year-old a qualifying offer at season’s end, making him a restricted free agent. With former two-way player Luke Kornet poised to join New York’s 15-man roster, Hicks and Allonzo Trier, who reached a deal with the Knicks in June, are expected to fill the team’s two-way slots for 2018/19.
Hicks, who will turn 24 later this month, appeared in 18 games for the Knicks in his rookie year, averaging 4.4 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 13.3 minutes per contest. He saw more action for the Westchester Knicks in the G League, posting 15.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in 37 games with the club.
The Knicks entered the offseason with 12 players under contract. Now that Kornet, Mario Hezonja, and Kevin Knox are poised to take roster spots and Hicks and Trier will fill the club’s two-way slots, New York projects to have a full regular-season roster. The Knicks can carry a 20-man offseason roster, but will need to eventually waive or trade a player if they intend to sign second-round pick Mitchell Robinson to a spot on their 15-man regular-season squad, Begley notes (via Twitter).
Maybe a post-August stretch of Noah clears room for Robinson.
Looks like good bye Ron Baker…last season Kuz and Sessions were cut to open spots with millions owed to them.. Baker is still hurt and still unproven.
They shouldn’t release Noah until they know if it’s a smart move to stretch the last year or take the full hit in 2019-20, and they won’t know that until the summer of 2019. They only need to get down to 15 roster spots by the end of pre-season (October), so it’s not a pressing issue. They’re still talking to some guys, so they may sign another guy with BAE making it 17 going into preseason.