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Knicks Convert Charlie Brown Jr., Jacob Toppin To Two-Way Deals

October 21st, 2023 at 3:26pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks have converted Charlie Brown Jr. and Jacob Toppin to two-way deals, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The moves are official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

Both players were signed to Exhibit 10 contracts, and New York had a couple of open two-way spots after waiving Nathan Knight and Jaylen Martin. That means no corresponding moves were necessary in order to promote Brown and Toppin.

Brown, 26, has appeared in a total of 41 NBA regular season games for the Hawks, Thunder, Mavericks, and Sixers since 2019, but wasn’t in the league last year, having spent the season with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate. He averaged 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game for a Delaware Blue Coats team that won the 2022/23 G League championship.

Following his stint in Delaware, the 6’6″ wing caught on with the Knicks for Summer League play in July. He was a standout in four games in Las Vegas, averaging 19.8 PPG and 6.3 RPG with a shooting line of .547/.375/.800.

Toppin, meanwhile, went undrafted in June out of Kentucky. The 6’9″ forward averaged a career-best 12.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game for the Wildcats as a senior in 2022/23, earning a starting role and averaging 31.4 MPG in 33 appearances.

Interestingly, it was initially reported that Toppin would receive a two-way contract, but he actually signed an Exhibit 10 deal. Now, the 23-year-old has wound up on a two-way deal after all.

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, Toppin impressed head coach Tom Thibodeau with his defense during preseason action (Twitter link). Toppin is the younger brother of former Knicks forward Obi Toppin, who was traded to the Pacers this summer.

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Knicks Re-Sign Isaiah Roby To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 21st, 2023 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

After clearing waivers on Friday, free agent forward/center Isaiah Roby has re-signed with the Knicks on an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Roby signed a multiyear deal with New York on the final day of the 2022/23 regular season. The 25-year-old spent most of last season with the Spurs, appearing in 42 games and averaging 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per night before being released in early March. He spent his first three NBA seasons with Oklahoma City.

Roby’s multiyear contract was non-guaranteed for 2023/24, but he remained in camp with the Knicks as he vied for a spot on the 15-man regular season roster. By waiving him on Wednesday, New York signaled that he wouldn’t claim one of those spots, but bringing him back on an Exhibit 10 deal suggests the team wants to keep him in its system. Roby is eligible to be named an affiliate player for the Westchester Knicks in the G League.

If Roby had been owed more than $75K in guaranteed money when he was cut by the Knicks, he would’ve been ineligible to play for Westchester, but his salary was entirely non-guaranteed.

He’ll likely be waived again later today, putting him on track to join New York’s G League team, where he’ll receive a $75K Exhibit 10 bonus if he remains with the club for at least 60 days. The Knicks have a pair of two-way slots available, but Roby is ineligible for a two-way deal due to his four years of NBA experience.

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And-Ones: Zagars, Media Rights, October Deadlines, More

October 21st, 2023 at 8:11am CST by Tristan Tucker

Latvian guard Arturs Zagars is out for at least five months due to a knee injury, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reports (Twitter link). As detailed in a piece from Eurohoops, Zagars suffered the injury on October 14 while playing in Lithuania’s top league.

Zagars received NBA interest through the summer following a standout FIBA World Cup performance for Latvia. The 23-year-old guard averaged 12.4 points, 7.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game and set a tournament record with 17 assists in his team’s final contest. He ultimately wound up signing a three-year deal with Turkey’s Fenerbahce in September and they loaned him to the BC Wolves of Lithuania, with whom he suffered the injury.

As confirmed by Eurohoops and Urbonas, Zagars suffered an MCL injury and will undergo surgery and continue rehab in Istanbul under Fenerbahce’s medical staff.

There are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • ESPN and TNT are considering signing new media rights deals with the NBA that include fewer games per season, according to The Wall Street Journal (hat tip to RealGM). Such an agreement would allow the league’s two main broadcasting partners to continue working together at an affordable amount. It would also put the NBA in position to explore creating a packge of games for one or more streaming services, with both Amazon and Apple already expressing interest.
  • The NBA’s extension and roster cut-down deadlines are looming, and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (ESPN+ link) broke down every rookie extension and veteran extension candidate, as well as all remaining roster decisions ahead of the season. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels and Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley are the major rookie extension candidates to watch, Marks notes, though Maxey likely won’t get a new deal. Many of the veterans facing an October 23 deadline for a contract extension, such as the Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo, are also unlikely to extend because they can earn more money by waiting until the offseason.
  • In another piece exploring the NBA’s October deadlines, Danny Leroux of The Athletic further breaks down the upcoming dates to note. Leroux points out the deadline for decisions on third- and fourth-year team options on rookie contracts is also approaching on October 31.
  • With the tip of the NBA season just days away (October 24), Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype provided a team-by-team look at which players are the most likely to earn consideration for the league’s end-of-season awards. Raptors forward Scottie Barnes gunning for Most Improved Player and Kings guard Malik Monk in the running for Sixth Man of the Year are among Gozlan’s most intriguing picks. Interestingly, Gozlan believes the Pelicans‘ best chance at earning end-of-season recognition is if Zion Williamson enters the MVP conversation.
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Knicks Waive Knight; Sign Diakite, Goodwin

October 19th, 2023 at 4:18pm CST by Rory Maher

4:18pm: Knight has officially been waived. The Knicks have also signed free agents Mamadi Diakite and Brandon Goodwin to Exhibit 10 contracts (Twitter links). New York now has 20 players under contract.

4:09pm: The Knicks are waiving big man Nathan Knight, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As Katz notes, Knight was signed to a two-way contract, and New York also recently waived Jaylen Martin, so the team now has a pair of two-way spots open.

Knight, who starred in college at William & Mary, has played in 108 NBA games over the past three seasons after going undrafted in 2020. He spent his rookie season with the Hawks on a two-way deal and spent the past two seasons with the Timberwolves.

The Wolves 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. He signed a two-way deal with the Knicks a couple weeks later.

The 26-year-old forward/center holds career averages of 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per night.

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Isaiah Roby, Jaylen Martin Waived By Knicks

October 18th, 2023 at 4:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have waived forward Isaiah Roby and swingman Jaylen Martin, the team announced (via Twitter).

Roby, 25, signed with New York on the final day of the 2022/23 regular season. He spent most of the season with the Spurs, appearing in 42 games and averaging 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per night before being released in early March. Roby spent his first three NBA seasons with Oklahoma City.

Martin signed a two-way contract with the Knicks this summer after going undrafted out of the Overtime Elite League. His departure leaves New York with an open two-way slot as the others are currently held by Nathan Knight and Dylan Windler.

Roby got into two of the team’s three preseason games and averaged 8.0 PPG and 2.5 RPG. Martin made one three-minute appearance during the preseason.

Neither player had any guaranteed money for this season, so the moves won’t cost the Knicks anything. The team is down to 19 players on its roster, with 12 fully guaranteed contracts.

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New York Notes: DiVincenzo, Myers, Sharpe, Dinwiddie, Barrett

October 17th, 2023 at 7:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Donte DiVincenzo feels less pressure this season despite signing a four-year, $47MM contract with the Knicks during free agency, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. DiVincenzo was rewarded after a solid season with the Warriors.

“I’m fortunate and thankful to have some stability, to be on a team now on a four-year deal. I can settle down and calm down,” DiVincenzo said. “Last year, I’m essentially on a one-year deal. Your anxiety, that’s more pressure. And you’re playing — when you’re playing with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and Draymond [Green], what they’ve done, that’s pressure.”

We have more on the New York teams:

  • Former Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers believes the Knicks have become an attractive free agent destination and that they’re currently positioned to trade for a star, he told Ian Begley of SNY and other media members. “I think what has shifted (recently is) … there was a time where I felt like people may not have wanted to play in (New York City). And I think that’s changed,” Myers said. “I think now you’re looking at murmurings, hearing things – ‘Hey, what about the Knicks?’ And the draft capital they have – it’s a realistic thing. It’s not some lay person saying, ‘Well, the Knicks should go get this guy!’ Now it’s viable, it’s possible. And they have what it takes with first-round picks in their cabinet to go do it. They’ve got a lot of good young players on pretty affordable contracts. They’re just another team that you’re kind of waiting for the next big thing.”
  • Day’Ron Sharpe provided some good minutes for the Nets in their preseason game against Philadelphia on Monday with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds in 18 minutes. “He had a really good offseason, really good. And he’s had a really good preseason,” starting center Nic Claxton said to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis. “He’s using his physicality without fouling. He’s a lot more comfortable out there.” It’s a pivotal season for Sharpe, as the Nets hold a $4MM option on his 2024/25 contract, which must be exercised by the end of this month.
  • Playing alongside Ben Simmons, Spencer Dinwiddie will have a different role this season with the Nets, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes. He’ll be looked upon for more perimeter shooting — he shot 28.9% on 3s after being reacquired from Dallas, where he made 40% of his long-range attempts. “He has the ability to shoot it at a high level,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “He also has the ability to get downhill into the paint. So we just don’t want him just shooting 3s. But the ability to do both for us [is there].”
  • In a subscriber-only story, Newsday’s Steve Popper details that RJ Barrett isn’t under the same load management restrictions that some of his Knicks teammates are facing.
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2023/24 NBA Over/Unders: Atlantic Division

October 17th, 2023 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

With the 2023/24 NBA regular season around the corner, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.

With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including Bovada and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

In 2022/23, our voters went 16-14 on their over/under picks. Can you top that in ’23/24?

We’ll wrap up our series today with the Atlantic Division…

Boston Celtics

Philadelphia 76ers

New York Knicks

Brooklyn Nets

Toronto Raptors

Previous voting results:

Northwest

  • Denver Nuggets (53.5 wins): Over (52.0%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (44.5 wins): Over (53.1%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (44.5 wins): Under (53.6%)
  • Utah Jazz (35.5 wins): Over (55.5%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (28.5 wins): Under (50.9%)

Central

  • Milwaukee Bucks (54.5 wins): Over (76.9%)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (50.5 wins): Under (52.0%)
  • Indiana Pacers (38.5 wins): Over (64.1%)
  • Chicago Bulls (37.5 wins): Under (61.9%)
  • Detroit Pistons (27.5 wins): Over (53.8%)

Southwest

  • Memphis Grizzlies (46.5 wins): Under (52.1%)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (44.5 wins): Under (60.8%)
  • Dallas Mavericks (44.5 wins): Under (50.3%)
  • Houston Rockets (31.5 wins): Over (59.2%)
  • San Antonio Spurs (28.5 wins): Over (54.4%)

Southeast

  • Miami Heat (46.5 wins): Under (59.0%)
  • Atlanta Hawks (42.5 wins): Under (61.1%)
  • Orlando Magic (37.5 wins): Over (60.7%)
  • Charlotte Hornets (31.5 wins): Under (65.8%)
  • Washington Wizards (24.5 wins): Over (53.3%)

Pacific

  • Phoenix Suns (52.5 wins): Under (52.6%)
  • Golden State Warriors (48.5 wins): Over (52.7%)
  • Los Angeles Lakers (47.5 wins): Over (57.2%)
  • Los Angeles Clippers (46.5 wins): Under (64.6%)
  • Sacramento Kings (44.5 wins): Over (71.3%)
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Raptors Seek To Have Knicks’ “Baseless” Lawsuit Dismissed

October 16th, 2023 at 4:37pm CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors have filed a motion in New York to dismiss the Knicks‘ lawsuit, which alleges that former employee Ikechukwu Azotam “illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position” with Toronto, according to Mike Vorkunov, Eric Koreen and Fred Katz of The Athletic.

In the motion to dismiss, Toronto called the lawsuit “baseless” and “a public relations stunt by the Knicks,” per The Athletic.

Azotam, head coach Darko Rajakovic, development coach Noah Lewis and are among several defendants in the lawsuit.

“As the Knicks surely expected and presumably intended, the filing of this lawsuit — virtually unprecedented between two members of the NBA or, frankly, two teams in any North American professional sports league — generated significant publicity,” the motion to dismiss states. “The effect of such a public accusation of wrongdoing in federal court was to tarnish the stellar reputations of Messrs. Rajaković, Lewis and Azotam, as well as MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the Raptors’ parent company), and to chill present and future Knicks’ employees from their pursuit of employment with other members.”

To support the claim that the Knicks were seeking publicity rather than something legitimate, the Raptors put out a timeline of events in their filing, The Athletic’s trio writes. On August 18, a day after the Knicks told the Raptors about the allegations, Toronto said it had no interest in the “proprietary” data that Azotam took and would cooperate with New York. The Knicks filed the lawsuit the next business day, August 21.

The Knicks alleged that Rajakovic “recruited and used” Azotam as a “mole.” However, the Raptors’ filing says those allegations are “false and overblown” and that the data was not confidential, but rather “publicly available information.”

“These were not the Knicks’ team and player statistics, play frequency data, player tendencies or play calls, but rather those of other NBA teams — including particularly the Raptors’ own game film — compiled from video of their games accessible to all NBA teams (and, indeed, the general public). In other words, they were far from confidential, let alone trade secrets. The Knicks surely know this,” the motion states, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.

“As we have previously stated, given the theft of proprietary and confidential files and clear violation of criminal and civil law, we were left no choice but to take this to federal court and are confident the judicial system will agree,” a Knicks spokesperson said in reply to the filing.

According to Holmes, the Raptors believe that the dispute should be handled by commissioner Adam Silver instead of a federal judge, pursuant to a bylaw in the NBA’s constitution that reads, “The Commissioner shall have exclusive, full, complete, and final jurisdiction of any dispute involving two (2) or more Members of the Association.”

Obviously the Knicks disagreed, arguing the NBA doesn’t have “exclusive authority over criminal matters.” NBA general counsel Rich Buchanan later told the two teams that the league would abide by the judge’s decision on if the lawsuit should be decided by the NBA or the court.

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Eastern Notes: Gobert, Fournier, Van Gundy, Wizards, Black, Howard, Hayward

October 15th, 2023 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is disappointed that fellow Frenchman Evan Fournier has an uncertain future with the Knicks and an undefined role, he told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. Fournier anticipated during the offseason that he would be traded.

Gobert calls Fournier “the best shooter on the Knicks.”

“I think he can contribute and help a lot of teams,” Gobert added. “I think everybody knows it. But it’s kind of weird when you end up on the bench and you don’t really know why. Sometimes you can be stuck in a situation — I know he’s going to have an opportunity again, and everybody will understand that he can help and win. And do it at a high level. And do it every night.”

We have more Eastern Conference news:

  • Jeff Van Gundy, who was hired by the Celtics as a senior consultant, has a longtime admirer in president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. “Jeff has been an unofficial consultant for so many of us that grew up in coaching for a long time,” Stevens told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. “He’s so humble and approachable, and has always gone out of his way to spend time helping others.”
  • The Wizards’ Deni Avdija (back), Patrick Baldwin Jr. (knee) and Taj Gibson (groin) were all full practice participants on Sunday, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Anthony Gill (hamstring) and Landry Shamet (toe) were the only players who didn’t fully participate.
  • Magic coach Jamahl Mosley felt lottery picks Anthony Black and Jett Howard showed improvement in the team’s second preseason contest against Clevleand, according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “That second game, they were settled down,” Mosley said. “Our coaches did a tremendous job of watching film with them to help them see what they’re able to do and they settled in that second game.”
  • Hornets forward Gordon Hayward (right foot discomfort) missed the team’s preseason contest against Oklahoma City on Sunday, the team’s PR department tweets.
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Robinson's Name Mentioned In Holiday Trade Talks

October 15th, 2023 at 7:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Mitchell Robinson’s name came up in the Knicks’ talks with the Trail Blazers regarding a potential Jrue Holiday deal before Portland shipped Holiday to Boston, Ian Begley of SNY reports. Robinson will likely draw interest from other suitors when discussing a major trade with the Knicks, Begley adds. Robinson has three years left on his contract but the cap hit declines on a yearly basis.
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