New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks’ Deals With Portis, Gibson, Bullock, Ellington Include Second-Year Team Options

July 1st, 2019 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams

With the exception of Julius Randle, who agreed to a three-year contract, all of the veteran free agents who have agreed to sign with the Knicks so far are reportedly set to receive two-year deals. The structure of those contracts appeared to put New York on track to regain cap flexibility in 2021.

However, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the two-year deals for Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Reggie Bullock, and Wayne Ellington will all include second-year team options.

By not guaranteeing the second year on those contracts, the Knicks will be able to maintain cap flexibility for the 2020 offseason, bringing back any veterans who impress them and parting ways with those who don’t.

Although Randle’s contract runs an extra year, his deal will also reportedly feature a team option – or possible a modest partial guarantee – in its final season, according to reports.

Knicks To Sign Wayne Ellington

July 1st, 2019 at 9:41am CST by JD Shaw

The Knicks have agreed to a two-year, $16MM contract with free agent sharpshooter Wayne Ellington, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Ellington, a career 38% shooter from behind the arc, will play for the ninth different team of his career. He’s previously made stops with Minnesota, Memphis, Cleveland, Dallas, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Miami and Detroit.

New York has already reached agreements with Julius Randle (3-year/$64MM), Bobby Portis (2-year/$31MM), Taj Gibson (2-year/$20MM) and Reggie Bullock (2-year, $21MM) during the first day of free agency. The team has roughly $10MM left in cap space with two open roster spots.

In addition to his floor-spacing ability, the Knicks value Ellington’s veteran mindset and locker room mentality. He averaged 12 points in 28 games for the Pistons last season, holding a 37% shooting mark from 3-point range.

Knicks, Reggie Bullock Agree To Two-Year Deal

July 1st, 2019 at 12:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have reached a deal to sign free agent wing Reggie Bullock to a two-year, $21MM contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

While New York missed out on its top free agent targets, the team has had a busy day, reaching eight-figure, multiyear deals with Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, and now Bullock.

A first-round pick in the 2013 draft, Bullock began his career with the Clippers and then the Suns, but didn’t hit his stride until a stint with Detroit that began in 2015.

Bullock averaged 11.3 PPG and shot 44.5% on three-pointers for the Pistons in 2017/18. Last season, the veteran split his time between the Pistons and Lakers as a result of a deadline trade, recording 12.1 PPG with a .377 3PT% in 63 total games.

Like Portis and Gibson, Bullock will receive a two-year deal from the Knicks, while Randle’s third year features a partial guarantee. In other words, it appears New York will move forward with an eye toward regaining its cap flexibility during the summer of 2021. The team still projects to have about $18-20MM in cap room left this year after its reported agreements.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Knicks, Bobby Portis Agree To Two-Year Deal

June 30th, 2019 at 11:16pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks will add Bobby Portis on a two-year deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Portis will make $31MM over the length of the deal.

Washington is rescinding its qualifying offer for Portis, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz (Twitter link). The move will allow him to sign with New York without the threat of Washington matching an offer sheet.

Portis re-signing with the Wizards was unlikely given his salary expectations. There was always a sense that Washington would have to choose him or Thomas Bryant when prioritizing a big man to re-sign. Bryant agreed to a three-year deal with the Wizards earlier in the day.

Portis and Jabari Parker came to the Wizards in the Otto Porter Jr. trade. Parker is also considered unlikely to return to the team.

New York has now agreed to deals with three power forwards. In addition to Portis, the team agreed to sign Julius Randle to a three-year, $63MM deal and Taj Gibson to a two-year, $20MM pact

The Knicks are projected to have approximately $27.5MM in cap room after today’s agreements, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.

Knicks’ Mills Issues Statement On Free Agency

June 30th, 2019 at 9:20pm CST by Luke Adams

After months of speculation that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving could be headed to New York this summer to join the Knicks, the two star free agents only delivered on half of that scenario — they’ll move to New York, but they’ll join the Knicks’ cross-town rivals in Brooklyn.

Having missed out on their top free agents, the Knicks have reached agreements so far with Julius Randle and Taj Gibson and still have about $40MM+ in cap room available. With fans expressing disappointment in the Knicks’ summer, the team’s president of basketball operations Steve Mills issued the following statement tonight:

“While we understand that some Knicks fans could be disappointed with tonight’s news, we continue to be upbeat and confident in our plans to rebuild the Knicks to compete for championships in the future, through the draft, targeted free agents, and continuing to build around our core of young players.”

The Knicks’ original statement, before it was amended and re-issued, ended by saying the team would rebuild its roster “through both the draft and targeted free agents,” without mentioning the “core of young players” (Twitter link via Steve Popper of Newsday).

Knicks To Sign Taj Gibson

June 30th, 2019 at 7:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks have agreed to a deal with Taj Gibson, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). The contract will be for two years and $20MM.

The 10-year veteran spent the last two seasons in Minnesota on a $28MM deal that the club signed him to during the summer of 2017. He played in all but 12 games for the Wolves over his two seasons with the team.

After the agreement, the Knicks are looking at approximately $41MM in cap room. It was previously announced that the team will ink Julius Randle to a three-year, $63MM pact.

Knicks To Meet With Reggie Bullock

June 30th, 2019 at 7:49pm CST by JD Shaw

Free agent Reggie Bullock is planning to meet with the Knicks on Sunday night, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Minnesota has also touched base with Bullock, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, but he isn’t at the top of their wish list.

Latest On Kevin Durant

June 30th, 2019 at 7:31pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks were not prepared to present Kevin Durant will a full-max contract offer, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). Owner Jim Dolan had concerns about Durant’s Achilles injury.

New York now has Julius Randle locked in on a three-year deal. The Knicks were long rumored to be the favorite for Durant’s services, though rumblings began to surface during the postseason that the Nets were contenders. Durant will take his talents to the other side of the Williamsburg Bridge.

[RELATED: Kevin Durant To Sign With Nets]

Durant and his business manager Rich Kleiman met with the Warriors GM Bob Myers today and delivered his decision to leave Golden State, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com relays via Twitter. The remainder of the contenders were informed later on in the day and Woj adds that the teams feel Durant handled the process well.

Durant’s deal with the Nets could end up being a sign-and-trade, Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link).

There’s no word on whether the Warriors would want a player back or simply to open up a $30MM trade exception (as CBA rules state the amount would be his previous salary). Golden State could then absorb a player in a trade without having to worry about matching salary. Such an arrangement would likely involve the Warriors including an asset, as the Nets could easily carve out the required cap room to sign Durant outright.

Knicks To Sign Julius Randle To Three-Year, $63MM Deal

June 30th, 2019 at 6:38pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks have agreed to sign Julius Randle to a three-year, $63MM deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).

Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the final year of the pact contains a team option, while Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link) classifies it as a partial guarantee.

Rumors of the Knicks’ interest in Randle sprouted once the Pelicans landed Zion Williamson and it became clear that New Orleans wasn’t likely to compete for the big man’s services. Those rumors continued in the week leading up to free agency.

New York is expected to have $51M in cap room after the agreement, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). It’s unclear if which players they are targeting with their cap space. The Knicks missed out on their top target in Kevin Durant, watching the former MVP sign with the crosstown Knicks. Kyrie Irving is also headed to Brooklyn.

Randle had a breakout season during his lone year in New Orleans. He notched career-highs in points per game (21.4), 3-pointers made (nearly one per contest), and player efficiency rating (21.0).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Notes: Harris, Leonard, Portis

June 30th, 2019 at 5:10pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Tobias Harris is meeting with the Sixers to begin free agency, The Athletic’s David Aldridge tweets. Harris is seeking a full, five-year max deal.

Jimmy Butler is in Miami to begin his free agency tour and is expected to tell the Heat that he wants to sign with them. The Sixers will likely get a chance to speak with Butler before he signs elsewhere, as Miami doesn’t have the cap space necessary to offer Butler a max contract.

Here’s more from the start of free agency:

Magic Johnson said he has spoken to Kawhi Leonard and Dennis Robertson (Leonard’s uncle) after Leonard’s camp contacted him, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter link). No meeting between the parties has been set up yet.
Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker are both operating as if they will not be back with the Wizards, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports reports on Twitter. Both players were brought to Washington in the mid-season deal that sent Otto Porter Jr. to Chicago.
Julius Randle is on the Knicks‘ radar, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link). New York missed out on Kevin Durant, watching him sign with the Nets.
The Knicks are meeting with Reggie Bullock tonight, Aldridge tweets. Bullock is ready to commit to a “strong offer,” Aldridge adds. The Lakers would like to keep him, though New York will be among the teams which will have a chance to steal him away from Los Angeles.