New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Myles Powell To Sign Exhibit 10 Deal With Knicks

November 19th, 2020 at 1:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 29: New York’s signing of Powell is now official, per a team tweet.

NOVEMBER 19: The Knicks will sign Seton Hall guard Myles Powell to an Exhibit 10 contract, Adam Zagoria writes for NJ.com.

Powell, an AP first-team All-American and winner of the Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard, will be with New York in training camp. He is eligible for a guarantee of up to $50K if he is waived and joins the Knicks’ G League affiliate.

Zagoria notes that the team’s shake-up may give Powell an opportunity to earn a roster spot. After today’s moves, New York has just seven players under contract for next season.

Former NBA player Rick Brunson, who has been training Powell and Knicks top pick Obi Toppin, believes the Seton Hall product has a future in the league.

“There’s NBA talent, which usually gets drafted on their talent, and there’s NBA players, and Myles is an NBA player,” said Brunson. “He may not check all the boxes with the length and the athleticism and height and all that B.S., but the guy is an NBA player. He can shoot, he’s tough, he makes threes at a high rate, he’s tough as nails, he can guard. He’s a winner and he’s a proven winner in college.”

Knicks Waive Four Players, Decline Options For Portis, Pinson

November 19th, 2020 at 12:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:40pm: The Knicks have confirmed all the roster moves detailed below and added that they’ve turned down their team option on Theo Pinson, whom they claimed off waivers in June. Pinson’s option had been worth $1.7MM, but he’ll become an unrestricted free agent instead of remaining with New York.

The team projects to enter free agency with upwards of $38-40MM in cap room.

12:06pm: The Knicks will waive Elfrid Payton and Kenny Wooten and have decided not to pick up Bobby Portis‘ option for next season, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. In addition, the team won’t make a qualifying offer to Damyean Dotson, who becomes an unrestricted free agent.

New York will also waive veteran forward Taj Gibson, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), and Wayne Ellington, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post.

The decisions are designed to create cap flexibility, Popper adds (Twitter link). He notes that the team could opt to re-sign some of the players, but at lesser salaries than what they were scheduled to make (Twitter link).

Payton had a $1MM guarantee on his $8MM deal for next season. He started 36 of the 45 games he played last season, but the Knicks have indicated they want to find a new starting point guard. Gibson also had a $1MM guarantee on his $9.45MM contract, while Ellington receives $1MM of his $8MM deal. Wooten was on a two-way contract and didn’t appear in any NBA games.

The Knicks held a $15.75MM option for Portis, who averaged 10.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 66 games last season, mostly as a reserve. Dotson, who got into 48 games off the bench and averaged 6.7 PPG, would have required a $2,023,150 QO.

Knicks To Guarantee Reggie Bullock’s 2020/21 Salary

November 19th, 2020 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks must make decisions today on whether or not to guarantee 2020/21 salaries for several veteran players. According to Marc Berman of The New York Post (via Twitter), the team has made at least one of those decisions and will retain Reggie Bullock through his salary guarantee deadline.

Bullock, 29, missed the start of the 2019/20 season due to a back injury, but ended up appearing in 29 games for the Knicks, starting 19 of them. He averaged 8.1 PPG and 2.3 RPG on .402/.333/.810 shooting in 23.6 MPG.

While Bullock didn’t have his best year, he’s a solid defender and shooter, having made 39.2% of his career three-point attempts before last season. His salary is also pretty affordable at just $4.2MM. With that figure locked in, he’s now on track to become an unrestricted free agent in 2021.

Before the end of the day, the Knicks will also have to make a decision on Bobby Portis‘ team option ($15MM) and determine whether they’ll guarantee salaries for Taj Gibson ($9.45MM), Elfrid Payton ($8MM), and Wayne Ellington ($8MM).

Cavs, Knicks Have Talked About Swapping Picks

November 18th, 2020 at 1:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After packaging the Nos. 27 and 38 picks to the Jazz for the No. 23 pick in this year’s draft, the Knicks may be looking to use the No. 23 pick to help them trade up even further. The Knicks have talked with the Cavaliers about trading their Nos. 8 and 23 for Cleveland’s No. 5 pick. However, Kelsey Russo of The Athletic tweets that Cleveland is holding out for more value.

Draft Rumors: Hayes, Nesmith, Anthony, Okongwu, Hawks, More

November 18th, 2020 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest mock draft in advance of tonight’s event, Jeremy Woo of SI.com shares several interesting tidbits, writing that Killian Hayes is “strongly in play” for the Pistons at No. 7 and suggesting there’s some concern about Aaron Nesmith‘s injured foot, which ended his season at Vanderbilt.

Woo also hears from sources that Cole Anthony has interviewed in recent days with multiple teams outside the top 20 and that the Celtics and Spurs would be among the teams with interest in Onyeka Okongwu if he slides out of the top 10 due to his foot injury.

Woo reports that there’s “significant traction” for Devin Vassell within the Knicks‘ front office, making him a viable option at No. 8 if the team stays put. Finally, Woo says the Celtics have shown interest in Duke big man Vernon Carey Jr., who could be an option at No. 26 or No. 30.

Here’s more on the 2020 NBA draft:

The Hawks are currently planning to keep and use the No. 6 pick tonight, a source tells Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). That could change if Atlanta gets a surprise last-minute offer, Wasserman cautions, but for the time being, it sounds as if the team is comfortable staying put.
We still don’t know with any certainty which player the Timberwolves will select with the No. 1 pick tonight, but Georgia guard Anthony Edwards has emerged as the betting favorite at Las Vegas sportsbooks, writes David Purdum of ESPN.com.
While USC big man Onyeka Okongwu may not be ready for training camp due to a foot injury, it sounds like the issue shouldn’t impact his draft stock too significantly. One source who spoke to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) predicted that Okongwu will still likely come off the board before the Wizards pick at No. 9.

Joe Harris Still Considered Likely To Re-Sign With Nets

November 18th, 2020 at 10:07am CST by Luke Adams

Teams monitoring Joe Harris‘ free agency “firmly believe” that he’ll end up re-signing with the Nets, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer also reported this week that Harris appears likely to remain in Brooklyn.

While the Nets are the frontrunners for the free agent sharpshooter, they’ll face competition. Begley writes that the Hawks and Hornets will be among the many teams interested in Harris. Atlanta and Charlotte are two of the only teams that will have the cap space necessary to offer Harris a deal worth more than the mid-level exception ($9.3MM) without requiring a sign-and-trade.

Two executives who spoke to Begley estimated that Harris could end up with a deal in the range of $16-20MM annually. Teams with interest in the 29-year-old believe he could get a four-year offer from Brooklyn, Begley adds.

If, for whatever reason, the market for Harris isn’t quite as hot as expected, the Knicks – another team projected to have cap room – will have interest too, but that’s unlikely, writes Begley.

Re-signing Harris would push the Nets well into tax territory, but he’s an important piece in a rotation that features ball-dominant players like Kevin Durant Kyrie Irving, and Caris LeVert. Harris doesn’t need the ball a lot and is a reliable floor spacer and knock-down shooter, having made 43.9% of his three-point attempts over the last three seasons.

Cavs Discussing No. 5 Pick With Knicks, Others

November 18th, 2020 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers are receiving interest in the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reports that the Pistons (No. 7), Knicks (No. 8), and Celtics (No. 14) are among the teams that have engaged in discussions with Cleveland.

The Knicks just moved up from No. 27 to No. 23 in a trade with Utah and may try to package that pick with No. 8 in an attempt to improve their lottery pick, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Knicks and Cavs have been the two teams in the top eight most frequently connected to Dayton forward Obi Toppin, so it’s possible he could be the target on New York’s radar in a move up, though that’s not confirmed.

The Pistons, meanwhile, have been linked often to Florida State’s Patrick Williams. If he’s still on the board at No. 5, Detroit may have interest in moving up to land him — or to leapfrog Atlanta at No. 6 for Tyrese Haliburton, Fedor suggests.

According to Fedor, the Cavs have their eye on a number of players in the second tier of the draft, including Toppin, Haliburton, Deni Avdija, and Isaac Okoro, among others. Moving down to No. 7 or No. 8 could allow them to “declutter their options” while picking up an extra asset or two.

It’s unclear how interested the Cavaliers would be in moving all the way down to No. 14, which is Boston’s top first-rounder. Cleveland sees a drop in talent after the top 10 or 11 prospects in this year’s draft class, says Fedor. There has been some speculation about a possible Gordon Hayward trade involving the Cavs and Celtics, but it’s not clear if that’s something the two sides have even discussed.

Jazz Trade No. 23 Pick To Knicks For Nos. 27, 38

November 18th, 2020 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

9:07am: The trade is official, the Knicks announced in a press release.

8:32am: The Knicks have moved up four spots late in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that the team is sending the 27th and 38th overall picks to the Jazz in exchange for No. 23.

New York will also receive the rights to 2008 second-rounder Ante Tomic in the deal, Wojnarowski adds. However, Tomic is not expected to join the NBA at any point.

The timing of the move is interesting, as this sort of deal is typically completed during the draft, when teams have a better sense of which players will be available – or unavailable – when they’re on the clock.

The Knicks may have felt they needed to leapfrog a team in the 24-26 range to target a specific player, or may have other plans in mind for the No. 23 pick. For now, they’ll enter tonight’s draft holding the eighth and 23rd overall selections.

As for the Jazz, they clearly have enough players they like in the 20s to feel comfortable pulling the trigger on this deal early. They’ll acquire a second-round pick whom they’ll likely be able to sign at or near the rookie minimum. Utah previously traded away its own second-rounder.

Stanford PG Tyrell Terry Has Zoom Meeting With Knicks

November 17th, 2020 at 10:12pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Stanford point guard Tyrell Terry has worked out for the Nets and Grizzlies, in addition to conducting Zoom meetings with Brooklyn and the Knicks, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post (Twitter link). Lewis notes that Terry has not worked out in person for any other clubs as of earlier today. Brooklyn has the No. 19 and No. 55 picks in tomorrow’s draft, while Memphis owns the No. 40 pick.

Rockets Rumors: Westbrook, Harden, Luxury Tax, Tate

November 17th, 2020 at 4:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets and Knicks are the only teams with “verifiable” trade interest in Rockets star Russell Westbrook so far, Marc Stein of The New York Times writes in his weekly newsletter. And Stein cautions that both clubs’ interest is “conditional” rather than aggressive.

Some people around the NBA believe that Charlotte’s desire to acquire Westbrook will increase if the team doesn’t end up drafting LaMelo Ball on Wednesday night, per Stein. As for the Knicks, their stance is best described as “weighing, but resisting,” according to Stein, who says multiple people within the organization are hesitant to make a move for Westbrook and his pricey contract.

Stein suggests that the best offer the Rockets could expect from the Knicks for Westbrook at this point would include one future first-round pick from Dallas, along with players who aren’t part of the team’s long-term plans, such as perhaps Julius Randle and Dennis Smith Jr.. Even then, there’s no guarantee New York would want to take on the three years and $133MM left on Westbrook’s contract.

Here’s more on the Rockets:

While the Rockets remain reluctant to move James Harden and don’t feel pressure to make a move right away, the “overwhelming expectation” around the NBA is that he’ll eventually be dealt, whether it’s this week, next month, or sometime in 2021, according to David Aldridge and Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Past inquires of Harden have simply been turned aside by the Rockets, but there’s a sense that they’ll now come around if the package is strong enough.
Although Harden is reportedly focused on getting to the Nets, the Sixers‘ interest in him has grown in recent weeks, sources tell The Athletic’s duo. According to Aldridge and Iko, rapper Meek Mill – who is from Philadelphia – has been trying to convince Harden to come to the Sixers.
The Clippers aren’t currently pursuing Harden, per The Athletic’s report.
Sources tell Aldridge and Iko that Harden feels as if some of the Rockets’ decisions – including roster moves and hirings – have been made without substantial impact from him.
The Athletic’s sources maintain that Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is “hellbent” on keeping the team out of luxury tax territory for the foreseeable future.
Sydney Kings swingman Jae’Sean Tate, who went undrafted out of Ohio State in 2018, is expected to sign with the Rockets sometime after free agency opens later this week, Stein reports. John Hollinger of The Athletic recently referred to Tate – who made over 40% of his three-point attempts in Australia last season – as one of the most highly-regarded players outside of the U.S. Houston is also bringing Sydney’s head coach Will Weaver stateside as an assistant on Stephen Silas’ staff, as we relayed last week.