New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Fournier, Dolan, Harden, Griffin, Langford

July 24th, 2023 at 9:22am CST by Arthur Hill

Evan Fournier could eventually become a buyout possibility if the Knicks can’t find somewhere to trade him, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Fournier played just 27 games last season as coach Tom Thibodeau pulled him from the rotation, and he doesn’t appear to be in the team’s plans for the upcoming campaign.

While Fournier may not have any remaining value to the organization as a player, his contract remains an asset in a potential trade. He will make $18.8MM this season and has the equivalent of an expiring deal with a team option of $19MM for 2024/25.

Fournier was benched because Thibodeau opted for a focus on defense, but he can still help a team as a shooter and play-maker. He set a Knicks record for most three-pointers made in a season during 2021/22.

With his 31st birthday upcoming in October, Fournier is concerned about what another season of inactivity will mean for his career, as he said in a recent interview with the French outlet L’ Equipe. Popper notes that the Knicks haven’t pursued any stars so far this offseason, but Fournier will probably remain on the roster for a while in case an opportunity for a significant deal arises.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks owner James Dolan cast the only vote against the sale of the Hornets, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The transfer of a majority stake in the team to a group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin was approved by a 29-1 margin.
It’s difficult to envision a quick resolution to the trade request submitted by Sixers guard James Harden, observes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Harden asked for a deal when he picked up his option for next season at the end of June, but little to no progress has been made. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey has reportedly set a high asking price that no teams have been willing to meet. Harden recently removed all references to Philadelphia and the team from his social media pages and wrote “Been comfortable for so long. It’s time to get uncomfortable” on his Instagram account.
The Celtics are likely exploring other options before deciding whether to re-sign Blake Griffin, Brian Robb of MassLive writes in a mailbag column. Robb points out that president of basketball operations Brad Stevens hasn’t mentioned Griffin in any of his sessions with the media since Boston was knocked out of the playoffs. Robb also expects Romeo Langford to get a training camp opportunity with another team rather than returning to the Celtics.

Atlantic Notes: Bazley, Maxey, Herro, Tucker, Knicks

July 22nd, 2023 at 1:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Nets power forward Darius Bazley envisions himself as being a versatile, defense-first contributor for Brooklyn, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post.

Following a 2022/23 season split between the Thunder and Suns, the 6’8″ big man inked a one-year, veteran’s minimum agreement with Brooklyn, citing the team’s energy and chemistry as reasons why the Nets appealed to him.

“Just watching them a little bit in the playoffs, also just throughout the course of the season, the new team that they had towards the end here, they looked like they had fun,” Bazley said. “They looked like they played hard and together. It was just something I wanted to be a part of. When it all came down to it, Brooklyn was the place to be.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

As chatter about Damian Lillard‘s demand to be traded to the Heat continues, league executives who spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy.com suggested that a stronger package could be put together around Sixers shooting guard Tyrese Maxey, whom they see as a better young player than Miami shooting guard Tyler Herro. “I like Herro, I think everyone does,” a rival scout said. “But when you look at where these guys are gonna be in four or five years, you can see a lot more growth potential with Maxey. He is more of an attacker, he gets into the lane, he is a lot more efficient with his shot. And you know, in today’s game, efficiency is everything. So I mean, it’s a no-brainer in that respect.”
Sixers star guard James Harden continues to want out of town, while veteran power forward P.J. Tucker‘s name was recently floated as a potential piece to include in a possible trade. Kyle Neubeck of ThePhillyVoice.com wonders if it may behoove Philadelphia strategically to move off Tucker’s contract. Though the 39-year-old remains a high-level defender, his meager offensive contributions last seasons don’t necessarily portend a bright future in that regard. Neubeck notes that moving Tucker for cap relief and/or a more athletic player could help the club.
Although the Knicks have now signed three players to fill their three two-way contracts heading into the 2023/24 season, the team is not permitted to withdraw its two-way qualifying offer to Duane Washington Jr. without his permission, in accordance with NBA guidelines, as Fred Katz of The Athletic observes (Twitter links). If Washington were to accept his two-way QO, the Knicks would have to waive one of their two-way players, since they’re not permitted to carry four.

Reid, Murphy, Grimes, Pritchard Joining USA Select Team

July 21st, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves big man Naz Reid, Pelicans forward Trey Murphy, Knicks guard Quentin Grimes, and Celtics guard Payton Pritchard are among the young players joining the USA Select Team in a couple weeks to practice and scrimmage against the main Team USA roster ahead of the FIBA World Cup.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojanrowski reported that Pritchard, Murphy and Reid would attend the American team’s training camp (Twitter links), while Shams Charania of The Athletic reported (via Twitter) Grimes would be present.

Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren of the Thunder, Rockets guard Jalen Green, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, and Kings forward Keegan Murray will also be part of the Select Team, as The Athletic reported on Thursday.

Reid, who signed a three-year, $42MM extension at the end of June to remain with Minnesota, averaged career bests of 11.5 PPG and 4.9 RPG last season. Murphy had a breakout second season in 2022/23, averaging 14.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 1.1 SPG on a stellar .484/.406/.905 shooting line.

Grimes started the majority of ’22/23 for New York, averaging 11.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 2.1 APG on .468/.386/.796 shooting while playing solid defense. Pritchard had the most modest role of the four new players reportedly joining the Select Team, averaging 5.6 PPG on .412/.364/.750 shooting in 13.4 MPG last season.

It’s possible a player or two on the Select Team could be used as an injury replacement for someone on Team USA’s 12-man roster. For example, Keldon Johnson, who was a Select Team member ahead of the Tokyo Olympics a couple years ago, replaced Bradley Beal when the star guard contracted COVID-19.

The Americans will start training camp for the World Cup on August 3 in Las Vegas, with their first game scheduled later that month in the Philippines.

Knicks Sign Nathan Knight To Two-Way Contract

July 21st, 2023 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 21: The signing is official, the Knicks announced (via Twitter).

JULY 19: The Knicks are signing free agent big man Nathan Knight to a two-way contract, according to Anil Gogna of NoTradeClause.com (Twitter link). A source confirmed to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link) that an agreement is in place.

Knight, who will turn 26 in September, spent the last two seasons in Minnesota after playing for the Hawks as a rookie in 2020/21. In 108 games across three seasons, he holds career averages of 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per night.

The Timberwolves had a minimum-salary team option on Knight for the 2023/24 season but turned it down and opted not to issue him a qualifying offer, so he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The 6’10” forward/center averaged a double-double (20.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG) at William & Mary during his final college season in 2019/20, but has yet to establish himself as a rotation player at the NBA level. This is his final season of two-way eligibility — his two-way deal will allow him to be active for up to 50 regular season games for the Knicks.

New York previously signed Jaylen Martin to a two-way contract, so Knight will fill the second of the team’s three two-way slots. The Knicks also issued two-way qualifying offers to Trevor Keels and Duane Washington, who are both still restricted free agents — with just one two-way spot still available, it appears that one of those two RFAs may not be in the club’s plans going forward after all.

Knicks Notes: Embiid, LaVine, Towns, Fournier, Free Agency

July 20th, 2023 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Trade speculation involving Sixers center Joel Embiid shows why the Knicks have decided to be patient in building their roster, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Team president Leon Rose has been collecting assets to eventually use in a trade for a star, but that player will have to be a good fit for the organization to go all in, Katz adds.

When Rose pursued Donovan Mitchell from the Jazz last summer, he placed a limit on what he was willing to offer, according to Katz. The Cavaliers outbid New York and were able to land Mitchell in a late summer trade. The Knicks also contacted the Bulls about Zach LaVine, but a source tells Katz that Chicago’s asking price was “giant” and the teams never got close to a deal.

New York has been viewed as a logical destination if the Timberwolves decide to trade Karl-Anthony Towns because of his connections to Rose and CAA. However, Katz hears that Minnesota’s price for Towns is also “sky high,” and another source tells him that New York hasn’t expressed interest in acquiring Towns.

Embiid would represent both the talent level and the fit the Knicks are looking for, but Katz states that management isn’t focused solely on him. With a collection of young talent and all its own draft picks available to trade, plus protected first-rounders from the Mavericks, Wizards, Bucks and Pistons, New York will be in position to make a significant offer for any star who becomes available.

There’s more from New York:

Evan Fournier‘s recent comments to a French news outlet may complicate the Knicks’ plans to trade him, observes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Fournier began the season as a starter, but he only played 27 games and wasn’t used at all in the postseason. He expressed dismay at Tom Thibodeau’s decision and said his feelings were shared by Derrick Rose, who suffered a similar fate. Fournier said it would be “a disaster” for his career to spend another season in New York, but Braziller notes that the trade market is slow right now even for stars, so any Fournier deal may be a long way off.
The Knicks haven’t added a backup power forward since trading Obi Toppin to Indiana, and Ian Begley of SNY.tv is skeptical that they’ll find a replacement before training camp opens. Begley notes that Thibodeau prefers to use a nine-man rotation, and those nine players appear set already.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report suggests a few bargains who might be available for the Knicks on veteran’s minimum contracts.

Trevor Keels Returning To Knicks On Two-Way Deal

July 19th, 2023 at 8:29pm CST by Rory Maher

Guard Trevor Keels has re-signed with the Knicks on a two-way deal, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter). According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, it’s a one-year contract (Twitter link).

The 42nd pick of the 2022 draft after one college season at Duke, Keels spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Knicks, who gave him a qualifying offer last month in order to make him a restricted free agent. Based on the reported terms, it seems likely that Keels simply accepted his one-year QO in order to return to New York.

Still just 19 years old (he turns 20 in late August), Keels only appeared in three games for the Knicks in 2022/23 for a total of eight minutes. He was a starter for their G League affiliate in Westchester, however, averaging 13.9 points, 3.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 steal with a .425/.355/.710 shooting line in 25 regular season games (30.2 minutes per contest).

Once their two-way deal with Nathan Knight is official, the Knicks will have all three two-way slots filled, as former Overtime Elite guard Jaylen Martin occupies the third. That means Duane Washington might be the odd man out — he was given a qualifying offer last month, but the Knicks won’t have any spots available.

Trade Rumors: Harden, Clippers, Lillard, Embiid

July 19th, 2023 at 7:07pm CST by Rory Maher

While the Sixers may be holding out hope that James Harden will rescind his trade request and return to Philadelphia next season, the former league MVP remains steadfast in his desire to be dealt to the Clippers, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

According to Fischer, Harden and his camp are confident he’ll end up playing for Los Angeles in 2023/24. Sources tell Fischer that the Sixers have discussed Harden trades with teams other than the Clippers, but none of those talks were serious, as rivals are aware of Harden’s “unwavering focus” on joining L.A.

The Sixers haven’t shown any interest in a potential Clippers deal though, and the Clippers aren’t interested in parting with Terance Mann, Fischer writes. Daryl Morey‘s recent comments suggest that the two sides aren’t natural trade partners.

If Harden is still on the roster by media day in early October, the 10-time All-Star is expected to join the Sixers in training camp. That might not be ideal for Philadelphia, however, as Fischer notes that Harden successfully forced his way out of Houston and Brooklyn in recent seasons when he was unhappy without needing to hold out.

Here are more trade rumors from around the NBA:

In his analysis of Fischer’s story, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com wonders if Morey will eventually cave on his high asking price and accept an offer from the Clippers, as having Harden cause problems — in training camp or during the season — could hurt the Sixers‘ on-court results. The fact that Harden is on an expiring contract and Philadelphia is firmly in win-now mode makes it a complicated situation, because the team can’t afford to punt on a year of Joel Embiid‘s prime, Neubeck adds. That much was clear even before Embiid’s recent comments about wanting to win a championship no matter what team he’s on.
Talks between the Trail Blazers and Heat on a Damian Lillard trade are “stagnant,” according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. While the two sides have spoken, Charania hears the conversations weren’t serious. Portland has told Miami to make its best offer, Charania writes, but the Heat don’t appear to be in any rush to do so.
As Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote a couple days ago, there’s no indication that Embiid has any desire to leave the Sixers at this point, and Philadelphia certainly doesn’t want to trade him, to the Knicks or any other team. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports that when Embiid and Morey met after the comments went viral, both sides envisioned a “Derek Jeter-type trajectory” for Embiid, with the reigning MVP remaining the face of the organization until he retires. In short, don’t expect an Embiid trade anytime soon, says Begley.

Evan Fournier Would Still Be “Very Surprised” To Be A Knick In 2023/24

July 18th, 2023 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Evan Fournier, who said in May that he didn’t expect to be back with the Knicks in 2023/24, has remained with the team through the draft and free agency. However, in an interview with Yann Ohnona of French outlet L’Equipe (subscription required), Fournier suggested he’d still be “very surprised” to open next season with the Knicks.

Given that he’s on a sizable expiring contract, Fournier would be a useful salary-matching piece in any major trade, so the Knicks will presumably be reluctant to simply cut him if no such deal materializes before the season begins. However, the 30-year-old – who started the first seven games of last season and then appeared in just 20 the rest of the way – certainly doesn’t sound like a player who’s excited about the idea of staying in New York.

Fournier’s comments to L’Equipe, as translated and relayed by BasketNews.com and Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, are candid and honest. The veteran swingman spoke about the experience of being benched last season, his relationship – or lack thereof – with head coach Tom Thibodeau, and what might be next for him.

Here are a few of the highlights:

On how he reacted to being pulled from the Knicks’ rotation last season:

“You want to spit on everyone. You have hatred. Derrick Rose (who was also benched) and I looked at each other and said to each other: ‘What the hell are we doing here?’ During the five-on-five practices, we were on the side like some prospects. Uncool times. And when I realized that wouldn’t change, I took things more slowly. I focused on myself and didn’t let the rest get to me anymore.”

On his rapport with Thibodeau:

“I have nothing to say because I have none. When he took me out of the (starting lineup), he just told me he was going to try something else. Then before the first game of a road trip, he announced to me that I was leaving the rotation, and ciao.”

On his current trade value:

“If you want to trade me for a good return, why didn’t you use me? I was coming off a season where I was the fourth-best 3-point shooter in the league (in total makes). Why not take advantage of it? Now they won’t get anything interesting and that’s normal because I couldn’t show anything (on the court).”

On what sort of effect staying with the Knicks would have on his career:

“If I stayed, it would be a disaster, sportingly, for my career, everything. A year without playing, I can manage. Two… that would be terrible.”

On whether he’d be interested in teaming up with fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio:

“I want a spot where I can have fun again, where I can be myself. Would their game be more suited to me? It’s not the Spurs of 2014 anymore but playing for (Gregg Popovich), learning from him, it would be a pleasure and an honor, for sure. … Being with Victor, looking at the (2024) Olympics, being able to start connecting on the court, that would be great.”

12 Two-Way Restricted Free Agents Remain Unsigned

July 18th, 2023 at 10:24am CST by Luke Adams

The action on the NBA’s free agent market has slowed since the start of July, but there are still many FAs seeking new deals, including a notable group of under-the-radar players whose situations will need to be resolved in the coming days, weeks, and months.

A total of 12 two-way restricted free agents are still available, as our up-to-date list shows. Those players are as follows:

Trent Forrest (Hawks)
Theo Maledon (Hornets)
Terry Taylor (Bulls)
Lester Quinones (Warriors)
Kendall Brown (Pacers)
Jamal Cain (Heat)
Matt Ryan (Timberwolves)
Trevor Keels (Knicks)
Duane Washington (Knicks)
Dominick Barlow (Spurs)
Jeff Dowtin (Raptors)
Ron Harper Jr. (Raptors)

That group doesn’t include a 13th player, Neemias Queta, who is also a restricted free agent after finishing last season on a two-way deal. Although he remains eligible to sign another two-way contract, Queta was ineligible for a two-way qualifying offer after having played on a two-way with the Kings for consecutive seasons — his QO is a one-year, minimum-salary contract with a small ($75K) partial guarantee.

For the rest of these players, their qualifying offer is simply another one-year, two-way deal, which limits their leverage to negotiate a more lucrative standard contract.

Some two-way RFAs have managed to earn standard deals this offseason. A.J. Green of the Bucks was one. Julian Champagnie of the Spurs was another. Ty Jerome (Warriors) and Jack White (Nuggets) received standard contract offers from the Cavaliers and Thunder, respectively, that their former teams were unwilling to match, so Golden State and Denver simply withdrew their respective qualifying offers, making Jerome and White unrestricted free agents.

Offer sheets for two-way restricted free agents essentially never happen though. And in general, unless a team has earmarked a 15-man roster spot for a two-way free agent, it’s an uphill battle for these players to earn offseason promotions.

As a result, the majority of the dozen restricted free agents listed above will likely end up accepting their qualifying offers and hoping that their play in 2023/24 forces their clubs to find 15-man roster spots for them later in the season.

Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on this group to see if any of them can do better than another two-way — and to see how long some of them might be willing to wait in the hope of earning that opportunity.

Draft-And-Stash Player Remains In Spain

July 17th, 2023 at 10:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rokas Jokubaitis, a Lithuanian guard whose rights are held by the Knicks, had the option on his contract picked up by FC Barcelona, according to BasketNews.com. He played all 39 games in the EuroLeague last season and averaged 5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. The Knicks made Jokubaitis a draft-and-stash second-round pick in 2021.