Free agent guard Dennis Smith Jr. is scheduled to work out for the Knicks this week, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (via Twitter). He is hoping to make a return to the NBA after being out of the league last season.
The no. 9 pick in the 2017 draft, Smith has played seven years in the NBA, including three partial seasons for the Knicks between 2019 and 2021 after being included as a key return in New York’s trade of Kristaps Porzingis with the Mavericks.
Smith holds career averages of 9.7 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 steals on .407/.298/.674 shooting splits. The athletic guard turned himself into a high-level perimeter defender, especially in his later seasons with the Hornets and Nets.
Smith most recently appeared in the NBA during the 2023/24 season, when he played in 56 games for Brooklyn. He spent four games with Real Madrid last year, averaging 2.75 points in 8.8 minutes.
The Knicks currently have 17 of 21 available training camp roster spots filled and are expected to try to move one of their young players in order to prioritize retaining two of Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon, and Garrison Mathews, though any such move would likely not occur until after training camp. They are also tentatively expected to sign second-round pick Mohamed Diawara to a standard deal.