Agent: Ntilikina “Extremely Happy” To Be A Knick

MAY 21, 10:22am: Ntilikina’s new agent, Boune Ndiaye, denies that his client’s change in representation is directly linked to a desire to leave the Knicks, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.

“I can just tell you that the fact he was not traded has nothing to do with this change of agent,” Ndiaye told Berman. “Frank is extremely happy to be part of the Knicks.”

MAY 20, 3:03pm: The Knicks are expected to shop Frank Ntilikina on the trade market this offseason, and the guard is unlikely to object, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. A source tells Bondy that Ntilikina “desires a relocation.”

As Bondy outlines, Ntilikina had been represented by CAA, but decided to change agencies after the Knicks failed to move him at February’s trade deadline. The plan is for him to be represented by French agent Bouna Ndiaye going forward, as was previously reported by French Knicks Pod.

The change in representation was directly linked to Ntilikina’s desire to be traded, Bondy says in a follow-up tweet, citing a league source.

Ntilikina, the No. 8 pick in the 2017 draft, was selected by Phil Jackson shortly before Jackson was let go by the Knicks. The team’s current management group doesn’t appear to be as invested in the 20-year-old, with reports indicating that New York hopes to get a first-round draft pick in return for him.

Ntilikina saw his role adjusted frequently last season by new head coach David Fizdale, who played the youngster at both guard spots and didn’t give him consistent minutes in a crowded backcourt that also featured Emmanuel Mudiay, Dennis Smith, Trey Burke, Allonzo Trier, Damyean Dotson, and others over the course of the season.

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