Allonzo Trier has been a standout among two-way players this season, but signing him to a more conventional deal might not be easy as it sounds for the Knicks, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
There’s no question that New York wants to keep Trier, who is averaging 11.8 points per game and shooting 45% from 3-point range. But that doesn’t mean negotiations won’t get tricky. The Knicks could convert Trier’s deal to a standard NBA contract without his consent, but that would make him a restricted free agent at the end of the season. If they negotiate a contract, they are limited to a league minimum offer for just two years because they’re over the salary cap. The Knicks still have their bi-annual exception available, worth $3.4MM per season, or they could dip into their mid-level exception.
However, any of those options might be less than what Trier could command on the open market. Because New York doesn’t own his Bird Rights, the organization could only offer Trier $200K over the league minimum without eating up valuable cap space.
Both sides have extreme options they could pursue if they don’t work out a deal. The Knicks could ship Trier back to the G League once he reaches his 45-day limit, which should happen within the next two weeks depending how off days are counted. However, that would rob them of an important scoring threat and a fan favorite for the rest of the season. Trier could also refuse to sign any deal and take his chances in free agency.
After going undrafted in June, Trier may not be in the mood to give the Knicks a discount if he still has hard feelings over what he perceives as a broken draft promise. He said the team offered a strong indication that it would pick him at No. 36, but went with center Mitchell Robinson instead.
“Even though I may have been their best available player and favorite player on the board they chose to go with something that would benefit them now or fill a need right now,” Trier said. “That ended up working for them too. They ended up getting me as well. Big win.”
Trier accepted a two-way offer from the Knicks on draft night and worked his way into a rotational slot. How long he remains with the team will depend on how much money the Knicks are willing to commit when they are trying to free up as much cap space as possible for free agency next summer.
Pay the man
agreed
. . . Next year, after standardizing his contract by the 15th.
You left out what happens at the end of the year if they send him to the G league.
Is he still a RFA?
yeah there was a build-up to like the Knicks sending him back to the G-League as being the best contractual option… but I’m missing how that’s the case. Unless I, too, missed it in the article…
Not 100% sure but I think he is a free agent after the g league season is over.
Pay him now, worry about ekeing out cap space as you approach the deadline.
I’m sure the Knicks will make him a reasonable multi-year offer. If he rejects it, then send him to the G-League. If he might not be here next year, then getting him minutes can’t be a priority. His cap hold is lower as a 2W, and he’s a RFA either way.
This is a bit tricky, but mostly because the options and outcomes aren’t entirely clear in the article, and I don’t think there’s been another example like Trier’s before..
It’ll be interesting to see what the Knicks and Trier’s agent choose to do..
Also, idk why Trier would still be salty, it sounds like he very well could be in a better position financially than Robinson, if I understand everything correctly…
It is difficult to find information about what happens when a 2way contract is up, but this was in “2ways in 10days”:
“Players accrue Bird rights (toward free agency) while on two-way contracts, and they are subject to restricted free agency at the end of their contracts if they were called up by the parent NBA team for at least 15 days of the previous season.”
That is a mean thing to slip into the rules for 2way contracts– RFA instead of UFA!
This surprises me, that Trier can be sent down but cannnot leave after the year is over if the Knicks match.