Matt Ryan Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Re-Sign Matt Ryan To Two-Way Contract

December 24th, 2024 at 7:19pm CST by Luke Adams

7:19pm: The Knicks have officially signed Ryan and waived Buie, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter links).

3:17pm: The Knicks intend to re-sign Matt Ryan to a two-way contract after he clears waivers, sources tell Fred Katz and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). Ryan was cut from the standard roster on Sunday, so he’ll officially become a free agent at 5:00 pm ET today.

New York will waive two-way player Boo Buie in order to create a spot for Ryan, according to Katz and Edwards.

Ryan, 27, signed a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract with the Knicks in November when they needed to add two players to their roster to get to the required minimum of 14. Ariel Hukporti, who had been on a two-way deal, was promoted to the standard roster at the same time Ryan was signed to get New York back to 14 players.

Known as a sharpshooter, Ryan has played for the Celtics, Lakers, Timberwolves, and Pelicans since making his NBA debut in April 2022, but has struggled to earn regular playing time. That was the case again this fall with the Knicks, as he appeared in just nine games, scoring 15 total points in 45 minutes. While the sample size was small, he was unable to get his three-point shot going in those outings, making just 3-of-14 (21.4%).

Still, Ryan – who is in his fourth NBA season – is the type of plug-and-play veteran capable of contributing in a pinch, so after cutting him to make room on the standard roster for Landry Shamet, the Knicks will bring him back at the expense of a developmental rookie in Buie.

An undrafted first-year pro out of Northwestern, Buie has yet to make his regular season NBA debut, having only played for the Westchester Knicks in the G League so far this season.

Assuming Ryan returns to the Knicks ahead of Wednesday’s Christmas Day game, he’ll be eligible to appear in up to a maximum of 32 more NBA games this season (a prorated portion of the usual 50-game limit).

Knicks Add Landry Shamet, Waive Matt Ryan

December 23rd, 2024 at 8:37am CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 23: The Knicks have announced the signing of Shamet (Twitter link). Both roster moves are now official.

DECEMBER 22: The Knicks have agreed to a standard contract with guard Landry Shamet, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. It’s a one-year deal, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets.

To make room for Shamet and remain under the second-apron hard cap, the Knicks have waived forward Matt Ryan, the team’s PR department tweets.

It’s not surprising New York brought back Shamet. who dislocated his shoulder during the preseason while participating in Knicks training camp. He remained with the Westchester Knicks in the G League while rehabbing his injury and the NBA club was simply waiting for him to get back to full strength. Coach Tom Thibodeau commented on Shamet’s status a week ago.

“It’s good to see him out there healthy again,” Thibodeau said then. “(But) there’s a number of things that have to happen before he can play with us.”

Shamet was likely to make the opening night roster prior to the injury. He had signed a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract during the offseason.

He was waived before opening night. Shamet appeared in 46 games with Washington last season and averaged 7.1 points in 15.8 minutes per contest. He has also played for Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn and Phoenix in 348 total regular season outings.

Ryan was inked to a non-guaranteed contract in early November and appeared in nine Knicks games, but logged very few minutes in those outings.

Assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers, Ryan will count for $621,439 in dead money on New York’s books. The cap hit for Shamet’s contract will depend on when he officially signs — if it’s officially finalized on Monday, the deal will carry a cap charge of $1,343,690 for the Knicks.

Eastern Rumors: Knicks, B. Brown, Stewart, Springer, Bulls

December 2nd, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Since Landry Shamet dislocated his shoulder during the preseason, scuttling his chances of making the Knicks‘ opening night roster, reports have indicated that the club is highly likely to re-sign him if and when he gets healthy.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms as much and adds another detail to those reports. According to Scotto, if Shamet returns, the hope in New York is that Matt Ryan – who is currently on a non-guaranteed contract – will clear waivers and rejoin the club on a two-way deal.

The Knicks have an open 15-man roster spot, but don’t have enough breathing room below their hard cap to carry both players on standard deals, so Ryan would have to be cut if Shamet re-signs.

Here are a few more rumors from around the Eastern Conference:

Although the Raptors declined offers of multiple second-round picks for Bruce Brown at last season’s trade deadline, there’s a widespread belief that the versatile swingman will be back on the trade block this season, per Scotto. Brown, who is on an expiring $23MM contract, continues to make his way back from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and appears to be getting closer to making his season debut.
Isaiah Stewart‘s demotion to a bench role this season for the first time since his rookie year has led executives around the NBA to believe that the Pistons‘ big man will be available on the trade market this season, according to Scotto. Stewart is in the first season of a four-year, $60MM contract that features flat annual cap hits of $15MM.
Confirming previous reporting, Scotto says the Celtics gauged the trade market for Jaden Springer and his $4MM expiring contract in the fall. While there were teams willing to take on Springer if it means acquiring draft compensation from Boston, the C’s weren’t interested at that time in giving up draft capital to move off of the guard’s contract, Scotto reports. It will be interesting to see if that changes before the trade deadline.
Explaining the recent uptick in trade rumors surrounding the Bulls, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times says, citing a source, that the only new development in Chicago is that the team is “starting to look at a more responsible asking price” for veterans like Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. The Bulls remain unwilling to attach a first-round pick to LaVine though, Cowley notes.

Knicks Notes: McBride, Grimes, Offense, Ryan

November 28th, 2024 at 12:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Knicks backup guard Miles McBride returned to action on Monday following a five-game absence due to patella femoral pain syndrome in his left knee. While McBride said he “felt great” after the victory in Denver and praised the organization and training staff, he said the injury — which is more commonly known as runner’s knee — is something he’ll have to manage throughout the season.

“I would say we’re definitely gonna be managing it going forward,” McBride said, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “We just wanna be more precautionary I think than anything, just to make sure everything is right. I felt great and I think it’s gonna be behind me, but I just want to be smart with it.”

Here are a few more notes on the Knicks:

Fourth-year wing Quentin Grimes had a tumultuous end to his Knicks tenure last season, ultimately being traded to Detroit at the February deadline before being rerouted to Dallas in another trade over the offseason. Following the Mavericks‘ victory over New York on Wednesday, Grimes praised Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays. “Credit to Thibs,” Grimes said. “He gave me a lot of those hard assignments early in my career and I feel like I was able to get a good understanding of how to guard All-Stars, superstars, and it gets me going.” Grimes, who finished with a season-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting starting in place of the injured Luka Doncic, will be a restricted free agent in 2025.
The Knicks currently have the second-best offensive rating in the NBA but are just 24th in defense. One game after scoring a league-high 145 points in Denver, New York’s high-powered offense struggled with Dallas’ switching defensive scheme, Bondy writes for The New York Post. The Knicks shot just 26% from the field in the first half. “We couldn’t buy a basket to save our lives to start the game,” Jalen Brunson said. “Defensively, we just weren’t there. It’s a long season. Honestly, got to limit the highs and lows and be as steady as we can be.”
Winning the NBA Cup will be a financial windfall for players whose salaries are relatively low. Each member of the first-place team will earn about $515K; a two-way player’s full-season salary is about $579K. Reserve forward Matt Ryan, who is on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal, plans to put his potential NBA Cup earnings into his startup investment company, according to Bondy (Sports+ link). The Knicks are 2-0 during in-season tournament play so far with a point differential of plus-14.

New York Notes: Ryan, Hart, Nets, Simmons, Clowney

November 13th, 2024 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran sharpshooter Matt Ryan played non-garbage-time minutes on Tuesday for the first time since joining the Knicks, as head coach Tom Thibodeau expanded his rotation to nine players in a win over Philadelphia, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Ryan went 0-of-3 from the field and was a minus-six in nine minutes of action, but Thibodeau sounds prepared to give the 27-year-old more opportunities to prove he deserves regular playing time.

“I almost (played him) last game,” Thibodeau said. “But he just got here and because we had six of seven on the road, there hasn’t been a lot of practice time. It’s going to take him a little bit of time for him to get up to speed. But he’s smart and he’ll pick it up quickly. It’s good to have that.”

As Bondy notes, in addition to inserting Ryan into the rotation, Thibodeau got guard Cameron Payne back on Tuesday after he missed four straight games due to a hamstring strain. The duo joined Miles McBride and Jericho Sims as rotation reserves vs. Philadelphia.

While the starters still saw plenty of action, OG Anunoby was the only one to log more than 38 minutes after four starters surpassed that threshold in Sunday’s loss to Indiana.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York-based teams, the Knicks and Nets:

After struggling to find his fit in the Knicks‘ new-look lineup during the preseason, Josh Hart is off to a career-best start, notes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Hart’s 9.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game would be career highs, while his average of 13.8 points per game is well above his career rate. The do-it-all guard/forward also leads the NBA with a 76.8% shooting percentage on two-point attempts.
Ben Simmons appears to be getting comfortable after returning to his natural point guard position in the Nets‘ second unit, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Simmons had a season-high 12 assists in 22 minutes off the bench in Monday’s win over New Orleans, as head coach Jordi Fernandez has staggered Simmons’ and center Nic Claxton‘s minutes in order to avoid spacing issues. “I believe that if we have Ben in the Cleveland game we win the game. That’s obvious,” Fernandez said of Saturday’s five-point loss to the Cavaliers, which Simmons missed due to lower back injury management. “We have a ball-handler, a player that’s been there, a player that plays fast. We stopped running in the second half and Ben is the best at throwing the ball ahead and making us run. So it’s good to have him back, for sure. He’s going to help with those things.”
After playing well during the final few weeks of his rookie season, Nets big man Noah Clowney had gotten off to a slow start this fall, averaging 5.6 points per game on 31.9% shooting through his first eight outings. As Lewis details, Clowney enjoyed a breakout game on Monday when he scored a season-high 15 points and knocked down 5-of-10 three-pointers. “Noah, one thing he’s done consistently is just continue to let it fly and it’s how it works, like you do not control if it’s gonna go in,” Fernandez said. “You can control if you take a good shot. He kept taking a good shot after good shot after good shot. Like 5-for-10, it’s what we want to see. And I want him to keep shooting every time.”

Knicks Notes: Giannis, Brunson, Kolek, Ryan

November 8th, 2024 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Giannis Antetokounmpo will get even more attention than usual when the Bucks visit Madison Square Garden tonight, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Amid leaguewide speculation that Antetokounmpo could eventually be put on the trade market, Marc Stein recently listed the Knicks as a possible destination.

Bondy is skeptical that the organization still has the assets to make a competitive offer for Antetokounmpo after two massive offseason deals to acquire Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. New York parted with most of the draft assets it had been saving up, and Bondy believes the team would be easily outbid by Oklahoma City, Houston or San Antonio if Antetokounmpo were to become available.

Bondy states that the immediate concern is finding a way to make the current roster more effective following the offseason shakeup. The Knicks are off to a 3-4 start and don’t seem to have the same cohesion as last season’s team.

“I think we’re still figuring it out,” Bridges said. “Offensively, defensively, we still got to figure it out. Like I said, it’s early. So we just need more time. And we’ll figure it out.”

There’s more from New York:

Even with the additions of Bridges and Towns, opposing teams continue to focus their defense on stopping Jalen Brunson, observes Steve Popper of Newsday. Until the Knicks figure out how to counter that strategy, they’ll keep having disappointing losses like the one Wednesday in Atlanta, Popper adds. “[Wednesday night], including myself, we came out sluggish and we can’t allow that to happen,” Towns said. “We can’t allow that to happen. We’ve got to impose our will. We’ve got to play New York Knicks basketball right from the giddy-up. We can’t just ease into the game. Yeah, this one’s going to hurt.”
Tyler Kolek hasn’t cracked the Knicks’ rotation yet, but he already has a high-profile fan, per Ben Steele of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The rookie guard out of Marquette has impressed broadcaster and team legend Walt Frazier with his aggressive style of play. “Tyler is a real team player, a pass-first guard that I really like,” Frazier said. ” And he has a great mentor in Jalen Brunson.”
Vic Quirolo, who coached Matt Ryan in high school in the New York area, told Adam Zagoria of NJ.com that the newly signed small forward is one of the best shooters he has ever seen. Quirolo speculates that Ryan could eventually become the outside threat the Knicks lost when they sent Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota in the Towns deal.

New York Notes: Sims, Knicks Offense, Ryan, Finney-Smith

November 7th, 2024 at 10:56am CST by Dana Gauruder

With Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson sidelined by injuries, Knicks big man Jericho Sims is getting steady time. However, he’s been reluctant to make an impact offensively, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes.

In 94 minutes this season, Sims has taken six total shots. In the Knicks’ three November games, he has one field goal attempt in 42 minutes. This is a pivotal season for Sims, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

We have more on the New York teams:

The Knicks are off to a 3-4 start and The Athletic’s James Edwards has noted some troubling trends. They rank last in the league in pace offensively, they’re 30th in free throw attempts per game, and they’ve struggled against opponents that do a lot of switching defensively.
Recently-signed Knicks forward Matt Ryan played high school ball approximately 20 minutes in drive time from the Knicks current practice facility. “It’s extremely special,” Ryan said of joining the Knicks, per Bondy. “But at the end of the day I know playing for [Tom Thibodeau], it’s going to require a tremendous amount of focus every day, blocking out everything else that’s going on. It’s very lucky, a unique circumstance to come home, play for the Knicks as a Westchester kid. But I’m locked in. Probably never been more focused than I am right now.”
Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith had his best outing of the season with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, and a steal in a win over Memphis on Monday. Brooklyn is certainly hoping the veteran will continue to produce, since he’s been considered a prime trade candidate. Finney-Smith holds a $15.4MM option on his contract for next season. “He’s been guarding centers, he’s been guarding point guards. … I’m doing all this to him and he’s fighting. The fact that I can see him fight defensively, but also see the shot go in, nobody deserves it more than him,” coach Jordi Fernandez told Bridget Reilly of the New York Post.

Knicks Officially Complete Three Roster Moves

November 5th, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have formally completed a trio of roster moves, per the NBA’s official transaction log. The three moves, which were previously reported, are as follows:

Signed Matt Ryan to a standard contract (story)
Promoted Ariel Hukporti from a two-way contract to a standard contract (story)
Signed Boo Buie to a two-way contract (story)

As we detailed in our individual stories on the signings, the Knicks had been carrying 12 players on standard contracts and had to get to 14 by Tuesday, since teams are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on their standard rosters for up to 14 days at a time. New York had done so since the regular season begin two weeks ago.

Elevating Hukporti from his two-way deal to the standard roster created a two-way opening, which the Knicks filled by signing Buie. The team now has 17 total players under contract.

Ryan’s new deal with the Knicks is a one-year, minimum-salary contract that is non-guaranteed, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv and Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter links). The first year on Hukporti’s new contract, previously said to be a two-year deal with a second-year team option, is also non-guaranteed, Begley adds (via Twitter).

Ryan’s prorated cap hit is $1,919,558, while Hukporti’s is $1,064,049. Those two cap charges bump the Knicks’ total team salary to $188,350,128, giving the team nearly $581K in breathing room below its $188,931,000 hard cap.

New York could swap in a new 14th man by waiving Ryan before his salary becomes fully guaranteed on January 7. If Ryan remains on the roster and the team doesn’t make any trades, the front office will have to wait until February 25 to be able to squeeze in a 15th man on a veteran’s minimum contract below the hard cap, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Landry Shamet is a player to watch over the course of the season, since he appeared to be on track to claiming a roster spot out of training camp before dislocating his shoulder. If he recovers from that injury in the coming months, he could eventually supplant Ryan as the 14th man or fill the open 15th slot (after Feb. 25).

Knicks To Sign Matt Ryan

November 4th, 2024 at 12:43pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks and free agent forward Matt Ryan have agreed to a contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link) and Ian Begley of SNY.tv have confirmed the news (via Twitter).

According to Begley, while Ryan will definitely be signing with the Knicks, the terms of the contract have yet to be finalized. The 27-year-old could fill New York’s open two-way spot once Ariel Hukporti is officially promoted to a standard deal, or he could be signed to a standard non-guaranteed contract.

New York is currently carrying 12 players on standard contracts to open the season and needs to get to at least 14, the league-mandated minimum, by November 5.

Charania reported just before the season began that Ryan was on the Knicks’ radar, and their G League affiliate in Westchester made him the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NBAGL draft a few days later.

A native of White Plains, New York, Ryan spent almost the entire 2023/24 season on a two-way deal with the Pelicans before being converted to a standard multiyear deal on the final day of the regular season. Over the offseason, he waived by New Orleans, re-signed on a new non-guaranteed deal, and then waived again, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Ryan is mostly known for his outside shooting ability, having converted 41.1% of his three-point tries in 63 career games with the Celtics, Lakers, Timberwolves and Pelicans (11.2 MPG). 2024/25 will be his fourth NBA season.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Claxton, Raptors, Knicks, Towns

October 30th, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on the NBA’s announcement that the Sixers were fined $100K for violating the league’s player participation policy, Sam Amick and Joe Vardon of The Athletic attempt to parse the somewhat vague language of the NBA’s statement, which said the team was penalized not for resting Joel Embiid but for “public statements inconsistent with Embiid’s health status.”

One league source told The Athletic duo that Embiid didn’t re-injure his surgically repaired left knee during the Olympics, but that there were concerns about the stability of the knee and the possible risk of further damage if he had played last week. In other words, the big man is dealing with a legitimate knee issue despite the team’s insistence that there were no offseason setbacks.

One significant factor in the league’s decision to fine the Sixers was the team’s messaging that the playoffs were a top priority and that the regular season wasn’t, per Amick and Vardon. Sixers president Daryl Morey, head coach Nick Nurse, and Embiid all spoke publicly this fall about their plan to rest the star center frequently – including in back-to-back sets – in order to ensure he’s ready to go for the postseason.

We have more from around the Atlantic:

Nets center Nic Claxton, who is still ramping up his conditioning after missing the entire preseason with a hamstring injury, will sit out Wednesday’s game against Memphis, the second of a back-to-back set, writes Ted Holmund of The New York Post. Claxton hasn’t experienced any setbacks, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez. “It’s basically part of the return to play with his minutes, back-to-back, being cautious with his body and this was part of the plan,” Fernandez said. “So he did a great job. He played those, those extra minutes at 26 (on Tuesday vs. Denver). Right now, we need a good rest and recovery, and then we’ll take the next step. So again, very, very happy with him.”
After officially announcing their training camp roster on Monday, the Raptors 905 – Toronto’s G League affiliate – made a trade to acquire Charlie Brown Jr.‘s returning rights, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. The deal sent the rights to Marques Bolden and three future G League draft picks, including a 2025 first-rounder, to the Osceola Magic in exchange for Brown, who was cut by Charlotte earlier this month.
The Westchester Knicks (New York’s G League affiliate) also announced their training camp roster this week. The squad has no shortage of players with NBA experience, including forwards T.J. Warren, Chuma Okeke, and Matt Ryan, guard Landry Shamet (who is rehabbing a dislocated shoulder), and center Moses Brown.
The Knicks essentially never ran plays on offense for big men Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein over the past couple seasons, so they’re still trying to figure out how best to get new center Karl-Anthony Towns involved on that end of the court. Peter Botte of The New York Post takes a look at those efforts.