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Mindaugas Kuzminskas

Mindaugas Kuzminskas Hopes To Stay In NBA

November 14th, 2017 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Released by the Knicks on Sunday, veteran forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas is poised to clear waivers today, assuming no team puts in a claim. If he becomes an unrestricted free agent, Kuzminskas plans to prioritize NBA opportunities over offers from teams overseas, as he tells Lithuanian reporter Donatas Urbonas.

“My priority is NBA,” Kuzminskas said to Urbonas (Twitter link). “But who knows, maybe nobody needs me. Then I would consider [a] return to Europe.”

After spending a decade playing professional ball overseas, Kuzminskas joined the Knicks last season and showed some promise, averaging 6.3 PPG and 1.9 RPG with a .428/.321/.809 shooting line in 68 games. In five starts, the Lithuanian forward increased those averages to 14.0 PPG and 4.2 RPG, with a .511/.391/.929 shooting line.

However, one of Kuzminskas’ primary advocates – Phil Jackson – is no longer with the Knicks, while another – Clarence Gaines – no longer has the same level of influence in the front office. Kuzminskas appeared briefly in just one game for New York this season before he was waived.

The Lakers, Bulls, and the Hawks are among the teams expected to have interest in Kuzminskas if he clears waivers, so it sounds like there should be an opportunity for him to remain stateside. Still, the 28-year-old didn’t rule out the possibility of participating in this month’s FIBA World Cup qualifiers for Lithuania if he doesn’t sign a new contract right away, per Urbonas (Twitter link). And if he does receive offers from NBA teams, Kuzminskas will seriously consider what kind of role those teams could give him (Twitter link).

“If I needed money, I would have stayed in New York,” Kuzminskas said, implying that perhaps he encouraged the Knicks to cut him, or at least didn’t object to it. “I want to play, not to sit on the bench.”

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Lakers, Bulls, Hawks Eyeing Mindaugas Kuzminskas

November 12th, 2017 at 4:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers, Bulls, and Hawks are among the teams expected to have interest in Mindaugas Kuzminskas if the former Knick clears waivers, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link). Kuzminskas, waived today by New York, will become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday if no team claims him.

When Kuzminskas first signed with the Knicks in the summer of 2016, Berman reported (via Twitter) that the Lakers and Hawks nearly beat out New York to sign the Lithuanian forward, so it’s not a surprise that they’d be willing to kick the tires again. The Bulls also make sense as a potential suitor, since they aren’t overly concerned with short-term success and can afford to roll the dice on a project.

Before Kuzminskas is free to sign with any team though, he’ll have to clear waivers. Waiver claims in the NBA are pretty rare, particularly for players earning more than the minimum. Still, it’s worth noting that half the league’s teams have the ability to claim Kuzminskas and his $3MM salary off waivers, if they so choose.

Waiver order is currently determined by last year’s record, with the worst teams getting first priority. Here are the clubs eligible to claim Kuzminskas:

  • With cap room: Kings, Nets, Pacers, Sixers, Suns
  • With cap room if various exceptions are renounced: Mavericks
  • With a trade exception: Bucks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Raptors, Trail Blazers
  • With a disabled player exception: Celtics
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Knicks Waive Mindaugas Kuzminskas

November 12th, 2017 at 1:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have waived forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, the team announced via Twitter. The Lithuanian forward was barely used this season, seeing just two minutes of action in one game.

New York had to make a move by 4pm Central to open a roster spot for center Joakim Noah, whose 20-game PED suspension ended last night. With 15 other players under contract, the organization decided to unload Kuzminskas and the $3,025,035 in guaranteed money he will make this season.

“The respect this franchise has for Mindaugas cannot be overstated,” Knicks GM Scott Perry said in a statement released by the team. “His professionalism and work ethic were greatly appreciated by his teammates, coaches and the entire staff. This decision was extremely tough for us. We wish him nothing but the best moving on with his playing career.”

Kuzminskas appeared to have a promising future in New York after averaging 6.3 points in 68 games as a rookie last season, but lost an important advocate in the front office when Phil Jackson was fired as team president over the summer.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes that last year’s standings will be used for waiver claims through the end of November (Twitter link). A team must be able to absorb Kuzminskas’ salary through cap space, a trade exception or a disabled player exception in order to file a claim.

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Knicks To Part With Mindaugas Kuzminskas?

November 12th, 2017 at 9:15am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks plan to unload Mindaugas Kuzminskas today to make room for Joakim Noah‘s return from suspension, a source tells Laura Albanese of Newsday.

The Lithuanian forward has been a forgotten man in New York, playing just two minutes all season. That comes after a promising rookie year in which he appeared in 68 games and averaged 6.3 points in nearly 15 minutes per night.

“I think the next three years are going to be the best of my career, I hope, because I’ve never felt so good — physically, mentally,” Kuzminskas told reporters before Saturday’s game. “If it is possible to play here, I would be more than happy. I think to play here, to win here is a great feeling, especially this year, when we’re playing pretty good, winning more games, the atmosphere in the gym is great and everything. If it is possible for me to play here, of course I would like to stay, and if not, I would just like to play.”

Kuzminskas lost one of his biggest supporters in the organization over the summer when the Knicks fired former team president Phil Jackson, who signed the 28-year-old to a two-year deal in the summer of 2016. That contract pays him $3,025,035 this season, but the Knicks are apparently willing to sacrifice that money even though there are cheaper options available. Jarrett Jack, Ramon Sessions and Michael Beasley each make $1,471,382 on veterans’ minimum contracts, and Jack’s deal is non-guaranteed.

Last night, Noah served the final game of his 20-game suspension for using an illegal substance, and the Knicks have to make a move by 5 p.m. today to add him to the roster. They will try to work out a trade involving Kuzminskas, Albanese writes, but will waive him if that is not successful.

“I think a lot of things happened this summer, you know, a lot of things changed,” Kuzminskas said. “And it’s obvious that last year’s team wasn’t that good, so you’ve got to change something … [And when] a person like [Jackson] is a fan of yours, it’s awesome, but you know, like I said, I was happy when he was here last year. He gave me a lot of advice. Just seeing him last year, the practices, it gives extra motivation. This year, he’s gone. This year we have other guys who are great too in our front office.”

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Knicks Notes: Kuzminskas, Noah, O’Quinn, Porzingis

November 11th, 2017 at 7:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mindaugas Kuzminskas is among several Knicks waiting for the team’s next move once Joakim Noah‘s suspension ends, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Noah is serving the last of his 20 games tonight, which means a roster change should happen soon. The Knicks have 15 other players under contract, so an opening will have to be created before Noah can be activated.

Kuzminskas, who was inactive for tonight’s contest, told reporters he is anxious to see what the team decides to do. He is making $3,025,035 in the final year of his contract, which may be a lot for the Knicks to absorb when Ramon Sessions, Jarrett Jack and Michael Beasley are all signed for the veterans’ minimum of $1,471,382. However, Kuzminskas has barely played this season, getting into one game for just two minutes of action. That follows a promising rookie year in which he averaged 6.8 points in 68 games.

There’s more news out of New York:

  • Noah isn’t sure how he will fit into the team’s logjam at center, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Enes Kanter has taken over the starting job since being acquired in a trade with the Thunder, and Kyle O’Quinn has emerged as the primary backup. Willy Hernangomez has appeared in just six games, and playing time figures to get even tighter with four centers available. “All I can do is just be as ready as possible,’’ Noah said. “I feel like I’ve put myself in that position, grinding hard. Whatever my role is I’ll accept it. It’s tough, you know? We have a lot of very good players at our position.”
  • The front office has been making calls to measure O’Quinn’s trade value, Berman writes in the same story. He has been impressive with 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in a reserve role, and the Bucks may be interested after parting with Greg Monroe this week to obtain Eric Bledsoe.
  • Kristaps Porzingis isn’t just playing better this season, he’s enjoying it more, Berman notes in a separate story. Last year’s turmoil, which included Porzingis skipping his post-season exit interview then being shopped for potential trades, disappeared with the firing of team president Phil Jackson. “Yes, it was a tough year,’’ Porzingis said Friday on WFAN. “We won a lot of games in the beginning because of our talent. I could tell right away it wasn’t going to keep that up for the whole season.  It started to go downhill, it wasn’t fun anymore.  It was not a very enjoyable season.’’
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Kuzminskas, Noah On Trade Block For Knicks

November 7th, 2017 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

With the clock ticking on their 16th roster spot, the Knicks will have to make a roster move of some sort in the coming days, and the team’s preferred option would be to trade a player rather than eating a guaranteed salary, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.

To that end, the Knicks have been making calls to gauge potential trade interest in Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who recently expressed dissatisfaction with his reduced role in New York. Additionally, the club has made Joakim Noah available in trade conversations with several teams since the end of the 2017/18 season, but hasn’t found a viable deal, league sources tell Begley.

Marc Berman of The New York Post had previously reported that Kuzminskas’s representatives were gauging possible trade interest in their client, so it comes as no surprise that the Knicks are involved in those discussions too.

The 28-year-old Lithiuanian forward had modest overall numbers last season, but played well when given the chance to crack the starting lineup, recording 14.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and a .511/.391/.929 in his five starts. Kuzminskas is only earning about $3MM and will be a restricted free agent next summer, so it shouldn’t be overly difficult to move him if there are teams with interest.

The same can’t be said of Noah, whose contract is fully guaranteed through 2019/20 at a rate of approximately $18.5MM annually. As Begley notes, a trade involving Noah is highly unlikely, given his exorbitant salary and his declining production. With Enes Kanter and Kyle O’Quinn off to solid starts, it’s not even clear if Noah will have a place in the rotation when he returns from his suspension, says Begley.

If the Knicks haven’t lined up a suitable trade by the time Noah’s suspension ends, the team may get back down to 15 players by waiving Ramon Sessions, according to Begley. The point guard’s 2017/18 salary is fully guaranteed, but it’s only worth the minimum, and Sessions isn’t a part of the rotation, with Jarrett Jack and Frank Ntilikina currently handling point guard duties.

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Knicks’ Mindaugas Kuzminskas Unhappy With Role

November 4th, 2017 at 3:03pm CST by clarkcrum

Apparently there is at least one player in the Knicks locker room who misses Phil Jackson. In an article for the New York Post, Marc Berman reports that second-year man Mindaugas Kuzminskas is unhappy with his role, or lack thereof, in New York City. Kuzminskas, who has been inactive for every Knicks game so far this season after becoming somewhat of a fan favorite last year as a rookie, admits to being “sad” that Jackson is no longer around.

“I had a good relationship with Phil,” Kuzminskas said. “He’d tell me when I’m playing worse, when I’m playing good. That was priceless. I’m sad he’s not on the team.“

After starting five games last season as a rookie and averaging 14.9 MPG and 6.3 PPG on 43% shooting from the floor, Kuzminskas expected to have a breakout sophomore year after averaging 15.4 PPG for Lithuania at this summer’s EuroBasket 2017.

“It’s kind of disappointing… I was feeling I was doing better than some of the NBA guys (at EuroBasket),” Kusminskas said. “And then to come here, you’re inactive. You’re nothing – not in the rotation, not even on the [active] roster.”

Kuzminskas is apparently disappointed enough in his role with his Knicks to at least be contemplating a change of scenery. Sources tell Berman that Kuzminskas’ representatives are gauging interest around the NBA. The 28-year-old believes he is entering the peak of his career, and he wants an opportunity to play, be it in New York or someplace else.

“I feel I’m right now the next two, three years is going to be my peak,” Kuzminskas said. “I’m feeling great physically and mentally and know I’m ready.”

The Knicks roster currently sits at 16 players with Joakim Noah sitting on the Suspended List.  With Noah coming back from his suspension soon, the Knicks will need to open up a roster spot. Jarrett Jack seemed like the most likely candidate coming into the season since he has the only non-guaranteed contract on the team, but perhaps the Knicks will now look into moving Kuzminskas instead.

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Knicks Notes: Jack, Burke, Dotson

September 7th, 2017 at 6:05pm CST by Austin Kent

When the Knicks drafted Frank Ntilikina, they expected to bring him along slowly so that he could develop from a raw prospect into a dangerous core piece down the road. The loss of Derrick Rose via free agency, however, suddenly cleared room on the depth chart.

With nobody standing between Ntilikina and a significant workload early, New York went out and signed veteran reserve Ramon Sessions. It turns out, however, that there a few more playmakers the Knicks have been keeping their eye on. Per Ian Begley of ESPN, the club views Jarrett Jack and Trey Burke as potential adds as well.

This isn’t the first time that Jack’s name has been brought up by the New York media – in August Ohm Youngmisuk, also of ESPN, linked the Knicks to Jack and Archie Goodwin.

While Jack had a solid season across town with the Nets as recently as 2014/15, he has been besieged by injuries ever since.

Burke, in contrast, has simply seen his role decrease from season to season as his four-year career has drawn on. Though the former NCAA Tournament star is still just 24 years old, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll be anything but a bit player for the next team that he finds himself on.

If the Knicks are going to make a move to shore up their playmaking corps, they may want to act sooner than later. Begley’s tweet actually came in response to the news that the Trail Blazers had signed the aforementioned Goodwin to a training camp deal.

There’s more from the Knicks:

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Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Embiid, Celtics

September 4th, 2017 at 11:28am CST by Austin Kent

A pair of Knicks bigs have turned heads at EuroBasket 2017 and that bodes well for the future of the franchise. Between Kristaps Porzingis‘ offensive showcase with Latvia and Willy Hernangomez‘s dominance in the post with Spain, New York fans ought to be drooling with anticipation, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.

Squashing any concerns about a knee bruise that kept Porzingis out of some exhibition games with his national team, the 7’3″ Knicks forward has flaunted his length, range and just about everything else that’s made him such a tantalizing, unique NBA package. Through two games so far, Porzingis has averaged 22.5 points per game.

Hernangomez may not have pumped out any similarly viral highlight reel plays through his first two games in the tournament but the 23-year-old has stepped up as a foundational component of his Spanish team. The 18 points and nine boards he dropped in 20 minutes during the club’s opener is reminiscent of his impressive string of performances for the Knicks in the second half of 2016/17.

Even Knicks forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Berman writes, has looked impressive through three EuroBasket games averaging 16.0 points per match.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Sixers need to figure out the best way to handle Joel Embiid‘s contract extension – our very own Dana Garauder wrote about it here – but one thing that can’t be overlooked when weighing injury risks and production is the impact that Embiid has on the Sixers brand. “He’s got the public on his side,” a league source told Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. “[The idea of alienating or losing Embiid altogether] is a public relations nightmare.“
  • Between Gordon Hayward leaving money on the table in Utah and Kyrie Irving leaving a team that made three straight Finals appearances, the newest Celtics made big sacrifices to be where they are now. “They were doing what I thought was fair game and very grateful that both of them chose to come here and make those sacrifices,” Danny Ainge told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England.
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New York Notes: Porzingis, Henangomez, Draft

April 2nd, 2017 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis will talk to Knicks management before deciding whether to play in the European Championships, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Porzingis, one of three Knicks who may be involved in the tournament, said he is undecided about whether he wants to represent Latvia. He didn’t participate in the nation’s Olympic qualifier last summer.

Teammates Willy Hernangomez of Spain and Mindaugas Kuzminskas of Lithuania both plan to be part of the competition. The event starts in August and runs through mid-September, close to the start of training camp, but Hernangomez doesn’t believe the Knicks will object. “They let me play in the Olympics, and the European Championships is almost as important to us,” he said.

There’s more this morning out of New York:

  • Porzingis and Hernangomez are part of a core of promising young talent that gives the Knicks hope for the future, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. That group also includes Ron Baker, Chasson Randle and Marshall Plumlee. “We’ve seen improvement with all of them,” said coach Jeff Hornacek. “A lot of that is offensive player development. We’ve got to get these guys on the defensive side of it. That’s an attitude you have to develop as a young player.” Isola adds that team president Phil Jackson made a mistake last summer by bringing in Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee rather than committing to rebuilding around younger players.
  • The Nets are focused on providing a positive finish to a miserable season, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. They still have the league’s worst record at 17-59, but Saturday’s win over Orlando makes them 8-12 since the All-Star break. Brooklyn is four games away from the Lakers in our latest Reverse Standings with six left to play. “We definitely want to finish the season strong,” Trevor Booker said. “It’ll give us something to build off of over the summer going into next season.”
  • The Nets have a rooting interest in the Pacers missing the playoffs, notes NetsDaily.com. Indiana’s second-round pick will go to Brooklyn if it falls between 31 and 44. The Pacers are currently in a three-way tie for seventh with the Bulls and Heat at 37-39. The Nets are assured of having the Wizards’ first-rounder (currently No. 23) and the Celtics’ (No. 27), along with Boston’s second-rounder (No. 57). They also have $3.425MM available to purchase another pick.
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