After being waived by the Suns last month, veteran shooting guard John Jenkins has reportedly signed a D-League contract. According to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link), the Westchester Knicks, New York’s NBADL affiliate, have claimed Jenkins off waivers.
When an intriguing player become available in the D-League, a team with a high waiver priority will sometimes claim that player with the intention of flipping him to another club for an asset, so it’s not clear if Jenkins will remain with Westchester. So far, the club has not officially confirmed the move, so we’ll have to wait and see whether he remains a D-League Knick.
Wherever he ends up, it appears Jenkins will get an opportunity for more playing time than he ever received in the NBA. A first-round pick in 2012, Jenkins spent three seasons with the Hawks before splitting time between Dallas and Phoenix over the last couple years. In 145 career NBA games (12.8 MPG), the former Vanderbilt standout averaged 5.1 PPG on .448/.364/.849 shooting. He was cut by the Suns this season before his full 2016/17 salary became guaranteed.
Jenkins, who will turn 26 next month, received more minutes and put up better numbers during brief D-League stints with the Bakersfield Jam, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and Idaho Stampede throughout his career — in 17 D-League games, he averaged 19.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG.