Knicks Notes: Shamet, Aller, Towns, Hukporti
After joining the Knicks on a non-guaranteed contract last month, Landry Shamet appears to have the inside track on a roster spot, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The veteran guard has impressed coach Tom Thibodeau in training camp and may become a valuable member of the bench squad.
“I don’t make the final decision on that, but I’m basing it on what (Shamet’s) done on the floor. He’s really done well,” Thibodeau said. “The second unit, as I said, I’m anxious to see him as well because I’ve seen what they’ve done in practice and they’ve really done well together as a unit. So I want to see that in a game situation. But he’s done a really good job. He has really good chemistry with (Cameron Payne), and then when you put Deuce (Miles McBride) into that, they’re very fast. You can play with a lot of speed.”
Thibodeau also mentioned Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims as members of the second unit, and that group will likely get most of the rotation minutes off the bench.
Bondy points out that New York has two roster openings to fill, but can only afford one veteran because of apron restrictions. The other vacancy will go to one of the team’s two-way players, either Ariel Hukporti or Kevin McCullar.
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Team capologist Brock Aller was the unsung hero of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, Bondy adds in the same piece. Aller is being recognized throughout the league for his intricate maneuvering to make the Towns deal work under cap restrictions, as well as the trades that brought in Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. “Brock has been terrific,” Thibodeau said. “It’s been great execution of a plan. It’s five years in the making. It’s accumulating the draft capital and looking at the opportunities and going step by step and figuring out the things you can do.”
- Towns and Bridges are both expected to be on the court when the Knicks open the preseason Sunday night in Charlotte, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Thibodeau plans to use all his regulars in the first game to give them a chance to get used to playing together. “I think for all of us just playing with each other these training camp days is important to the camaraderie and continuity,” Towns said. “Every single day I see ourselves making better and better plays so we’re doing a good job right now.”
- In a mailbag column, Ian Begley of SNY tabs Hukporti as the two-way player most likely to be converted to a standard contract because he provides depth at center.
Knicks Notes: Towns, Thibodeau, McCullar, DiVincenzo
Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns was understandably stunned by the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Knicks after spending his first nine seasons in Minnesota, writes Chris Herring of ESPN. Still, Towns believes his familiarity with head coach Tom Thibodeau, his former coach with the Wolves, should make the transition to New York a little smoother.
“I think it gives us a little bit of a head start,” Towns said of his relationship with Thibodeau. “I know the offense he likes to run. I know the way he likes to play defense and what he expects from his players.”
Towns, who is from New Jersey, has several other ties to the Knicks — president of basketball operations Leon Rose is his former agent, another executive, William Wesley, has known Towns for over a decade and remains a family friend, and senior VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas was Minnesota’s top basketball executive after Thibodeau’s exit. Towns’ first stint with Thibodeau was rocky, but the 28-year-old said they settled their differences “years ago,” and a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that Thibodeau was fully on board with the trade.
“He’s a lot more experienced,” Thibodeau said of Towns. “I think all those experiences teaches you a lot. He’s been through a lot of different things now, so he’s bringing all those experiences here.
“I think as with most players, now he’s had experience being deep in the playoffs. He knows what that’s like. As much as you try to prepare for it, until you go through it, you don’t fully understand what it is and I think his understanding is much further along now than it was his second year in the league, and his skill set is so unique. I think he fits well with everybody.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- James L. Edwards III and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic take an in-depth look at how Towns and Thibodeau repaired their relationship and now have a second chance to find success together. “There is some benefit to having coached him before and to know who he is as a person, but, also, that was more than five years ago,” Thibodeau said. “He’s in a different place, he’s a different player. There is going to be a learning curve and we have to adjust quickly.”
- Rookie Kevin McCullar, who sustained a knee injury at Kansas prior to the draft, traveled with the Knicks to Charleston, South Carolina, for training camp. However, he hasn’t been an active participant as he continues to rehab from the injury, league sources tell Edwards of The Athletic (Twitter link). A 6’5″ wing who was selected 56th overall in June, McCullar is on a two-way contract with New York.
- Donte DiVincenzo, who was sent to Minnesota in the Towns trade, recently sent out a thank you message to Knicks fans, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter).
- In case you missed it, the Knicks have reunited with Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. You can find the full story right here.
Knicks Hire Patrick Ewing As Basketball Ambassador
The Knicks have hired Patrick Ewing as a basketball ambassador (Twitter link), a new position in which the Hall of Famer will assist both the basketball and business operations departments. ESPN’s Malika Andrews and Chris Herring were first to report the news.
“As I said the day my number 33 jersey lifted into the rafters at MSG, I will always be a Knick and I will always be a New Yorker,” Ewing said. “I can’t wait to get started in this new position and to officially be back with the organization I love so much. The Garden has always been my home and I’m looking forward to working with (president of basketball operations) Leon Rose, Coach (Tom) Thibodeau, the team and everyone else that makes this place so special.”
Sources tell ESPN that Ewing will work directly with Thibodeau and the front office in his new role.
A franchise legend, Ewing was selected by the Knicks with the No. 1 overall pick of the 1985 draft. He made 11 All-Star appearances, seven All-NBA teams, and earned three All-Defensive nods during his 15 seasons with New York and is the team’s all-time leading scorer.
The Knicks made two trips to the NBA Finals with Ewing, losing on both occasions (to the Rockets and Spurs, respectively).
As Herring writes, Ewing was a longtime NBA assistant coach following his playing career and was head coach at his alma mater, Georgetown, prior to being fired last year. He most recently served as a coaching consultant with the Hornets.
Ewing, who won two gold medals (in 1984 and 1992) with Team USA, was also named an assistant coach for USA Basketball ahead of the AmeriCup qualifiers in November and February, per a press release. Former Rockets coach Stephen Silas will serve as head coach for the qualifiers, while veteran NBA coach Keith Smart will be another assistant on Silas’ staff.
Wolves Notes: Knicks Trade, Randle, DiVincenzo, Towns
While long-term salary cap considerations played a factor in Minnesota’s blockbuster trade with New York, Timberwolves sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic that majority owner Glen Taylor was only willing to sign off on a deal involving Karl-Anthony Towns if the front office believed it would improve the team entering the 2024/25 season. Last season, the Wolves made the Western Conference finals for just the second time in franchise history, and Taylor had no interest in taking a step back.
“First and foremost, I think it’s extremely important to recognize that this is not a money deal,” head coach Chris Finch said. “Glen and our ownership was and is committed to paying large amounts of tax for this team to be highly competitive. That hasn’t changed. This deal in totality checks a lot of boxes. We think it’s a great basketball trade.”
Sources tell Krawczynski that Taylor reiterated throughout the summer he was willing to a foot a significant luxury tax bill and would rather have kept Towns — and the four years and $220MM left on his contract — than make the team worse. As Krawczysnki writes, Taylor is in an ongoing ownership dispute with minority stakeholders Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, and it behooves both sides to keep the Wolves as competitive as possible entering arbitration in early November.
It has been reported multiple times that the Knicks have wanted Towns for at least a couple years. But the timing of the trade was surprising, considering the regular season begins in a few weeks and training camps are already underway.
Team and league sources tell Krawczynski that the Wolves didn’t have many other options for moving Towns, especially for quality players in return, making the Knicks’ offer –headlined by three-time All-Star Julius Randle — appealing. However, according to Krawczynski, the Wolves only accepted the trade when the Knicks included Donte DiVincenzo in place of Mitchell Robinson, who is out until December or January as he continues recovers from ankle surgery.
Krawczynski also suggests the Wolves had some concerns that if they struggled to open ’24/25 or Towns got hurt, they would’ve had even fewer suitable trade options for the four-time All-Star due to his recent injury history and super-max contract. Still, it was difficult to deal away one of the top players in franchise history, a former No. 1 overall pick who had strong ties within the organization and the community.
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- Finch said Randle will be the starting power forward and lavished praise on his former colleague — he was an assistant with New Orleans during Randle’s lone season with the Pelicans in ’18/19. “Really, really enjoyed working with him,” Finch said, per Krawczynski. “Great pro. Loves being in the gym, comes in with a smile on his face every day. He’s hungry for feedback. Really pleasant.” For his part, Randle said he’s thrilled to reunite with Finch, calling him a “genius” who excelled with preparation, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
- Randle could hit free agency next summer if he declines his $30.9MM player option for ’25/26. He said he was initially shocked by the trade but after getting a night’s sleep, he had a different perspective, calling the deal “a breath of fresh air,” according to Collier. “You want to be somewhere where you feel wanted. I feel wanted here,” Randle said Thursday. “At this point in my career, I’ve accomplished a lot of great things on an individual level, but I want to win a championship. This is a perfect opportunity to do that.”
- Finch was also excited about the addition of DiVincenzo, saying he should be able to acclimate quickly, Krawczynski notes. “His basketball IQ and his ability to cut and move and play off the ball is something that we really need,” Finch said. “That’ll benefit us right away.”
- A recent report suggested that DiVincenzo may not have been thrilled with a potential reduced role with the Knicks, but a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that DiVincenzo had “embraced” the idea of coming off the bench and didn’t want to leave New York. “When you look at the big picture, my mind wasn’t on what teams were interested in me. When I was in New York, I was fully there. I wanted to be there. And when this kind of picked up, I realized it was an opportunity. And when it became an actual thing, my mind just completely went straight to Minnesota,” DiVincenzo said. “And I immediately thanked everybody from my time in New York. There’s so much love there. But once I realized this is a real thing and actually happened, my mind transitioned to Minnesota. And I’m 100 percent here and excited.”
- Towns recently sent out a tweet thanking the Wolves organization and the team’s fans.
Knicks Sign T.J. Warren To Exhibit 10 Deal
OCTOBER 3: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
OCTOBER 2: Veteran forward T.J. Warren will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Knicks, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter link).
The 31-year-old finished last season with Minnesota after inking a pair of 10-day deals in March and earning a contract for the remainder of the season. He only got into 11 games, averaging 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per night. He also saw limited action in three playoff contests.
Warren’s best season was 2019/20 with Indiana when he averaged 19.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 67 games and became one of the stars of the post-COVID “bubble” in Orlando. However, he injured his left foot four games into the following season and hasn’t been the same since.
After sitting out all of 2021/22, Warren played 42 combined games with the Nets and Suns in 2022/23. He was out of the league for most of last season before landing the opportunity with the Timberwolves.
Warren has been searching for his next team throughout the summer and had a workout with the Kings last month.
The Knicks had to trade away several players to complete the Karl-Anthony Towns deal, so they currently have three open spots on their projected regular season roster, though hard cap restrictions will prevent them from filling them all. With only 12 fully guaranteed contracts, there’s a chance for Warren to make the roster with a strong preseason showing.
If he gets waived, the Exhibit 10 language would enable Warren to earn a bonus of up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with New York’s G League affiliate.
New York Notes: Finney-Smith, Load Management, Kolek, Towns, Tsai
Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith is irritated by the notion that the team will just mail it in this season, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.
“Me, Dennis Schröder, we were talking and we just want everybody to know that we ain’t deferring to just tank or whatever,” Finney-Smith said. “They’re saying we’re going to win 17 games. I feel like this team should take that as disrespect, and use it as motivation. People don’t know how healthy Ben (Simmons) is going to be. But we’ve been seeing him for the last four weeks and he looks great. So, if bro gets back on the court I feel like it’s gonna help our team a lot, and we’re going to shake the NBA.”
We have more on the New York teams:
- Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau isn’t a fan of load management. Despite some injuries late in the regular season and playoffs last season, Thibodeau isn’t planning to give players nights off if they’re healthy enough to take the court, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Every team has injuries. You just deal with them,” he said. “That’s part of pro sports. So some years you don’t have any injuries, some you do. So whatever your reality is, you deal with it.”
- Second-round pick Tyler Kolek made a strong impression during Summer League competition and continued to endear himself to the Knicks‘ coaching staff prior to camp. “Obviously, we drafted him (with the 34th pick), there’s a lot of things we liked about him so we’re anxious to see him in training camp and we’ll see where it goes from there,” Thibodeau said, per Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. “I’ve always said the first step for a rookie coming in is to learn how to be a pro and he’s already exhibited great qualities. He’s in the gym all the time, hard worker, coming in multiple times a day, so he’ll give himself the best shot possible and he’s already adding value to the team.”
- With the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster deal official, the Knicks regulars can soon start building chemistry with the high-scoring big man. Josh Hart has already got a picture in his mind of how Towns can make them more dangerous, Bondy writes in a separate story. ““For me, I haven’t played with that many shooting bigs in my career so I’m looking forward to someone we can isolate on the post, make good decisions, put the ball in the basket,” Hart said. “I’m going to tell him whenever I get a rebound and run, just trail to the 3-point line. I’m sure he’ll get some open 3s that way. It’s going to take some time just to get the feeling down. Obviously (Jalen Brunson), Mikal (Bridges), myself, we played together for a while. OG (Anunoby) played with [Brunson] and myself for a handful of games. It’s going to take a little bit and that’s what training camp and preseason are for — so we can hit the ground running on opening day.”
- Nets owner Joe Tsai is close to acquiring a 3% stake in the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, Net Income relays via a Bloomberg News report. Tsai’s investment company is making the purchase from New York real estate developer Steve Ross. The Miami Grand Prix, Ross’ Formula 1 racing event, is also part of the deal.
Damion Baugh Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Knicks
The Knicks have signed free agent guard Damion Baugh to an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced (via Twitter).
Baugh, 24, was in training camp with the Lakers last fall on an Exhibit 10 deal. He was waived before the start of the season and played for the team’s G League affiliate in South Bay, where he averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 37 games.
Baugh joined the Lakers last summer after going undrafted out of Texas Christian. He played two seasons at Memphis before transferring to the Horned Frogs.
Baugh will likely end up with the Knicks’ G League affiliate in Westchester, where he can earn a bonus of up to $77.5K if he remains there at least 60 days.
The addition of Baugh, combined with New York’s other moves today, gives the team 19 players under contract, with T.J. Warren expected to fill one of the two remaining openings on the 21-man preseason roster.
Knicks Re-Sign Chuma Okeke
5:20pm: Okeke is officially back with the team on a new Exhibit 10 contract, the Knicks announced on Twitter.
10:14am: Free agent forward Chuma Okeke, who was waived over the weekend by the Knicks, will be re-signing with the team once the Karl-Anthony Towns trade is official, reports James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Okeke, 26, was the 16th overall pick in the 2019 draft. He was stashed in the G League for a season while recovering from a torn ACL, then signed his rookie contract with the Magic in 2020.
Across four seasons in Orlando, the former Auburn standout made a total of 189 regular season appearances, averaging 6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 20.3 minutes per game. Known more for his defense, Okeke struggled with his shot, making just 38.3% of his attempts from the floor, including 31.8% of his three-pointers.
Okeke signed an Exhibit 10 contract with New York in August, but had to be waived to allow the club to open up enough roster spots to sign-and-trade several players to Charlotte as part of the Towns deal with the Timberwolves and Hornets. After that trade has been formally completed, which should happen soon, the Knicks will be able to refill the several open spots on their 21-man offseason roster.
Okeke will occupy one of those spots, likely on a new Exhibit 10 deal, but he’ll have an uphill battle to make the regular season roster. Due to its hard cap situation, New York will be able to retain no more than one veteran who is in camp on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract — Landry Shamet appears to have the upper hand for that spot.
Marcus Morris, who was waived along with Okeke over the weekend, would also be eligible to return to the Knicks on a new camp deal, but has reportedly decided against it and will seek a new NBA contract elsewhere.
Knicks Sign Alex O’Connell To Exhibit 10 Deal
OCTOBER 2: O’Connell’s signing is now official, nearly three months after it was first reported, the Knicks announced (via Twitter).
JULY 3: The Knicks intend to sign former Duke and Creighton wing Alex O’Connell to an Exhibit 10 contract, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
O’Connell, who went undrafted in 2022, spent his first professional season with the Stockton Kings, appearing in 48 G League games and averaging 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 21.7 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .476/.379/.769.
The Westchester Knicks acquired O’Connell’s rights from Stockton last September, but he ended up playing in Italy with Reyer Venezia in 2023/24, competing in the Lega Basket Serie A (Italy’s top league) and the EuroCup.
The 25-year-old impressed the Knicks at a recent free agent mini-camp and will be with the team for Summer League play, according to Begley. O’Connell appears likely to end up with the Westchester Knicks as a returning-rights player, though if he continues to impress this summer and fall, he could be a candidate to have his Exhibit 10 contract converted into a two-way deal.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or can put a player in line to earn a bonus of up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Knicks Officially Acquire Karl-Anthony Towns In Three-Team Trade With Wolves, Hornets
The Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster involving the Knicks, Timberwolves, and Hornets is now official, according to press releases from each of the three teams involved in the deal.
Word first broke last Friday night that an agreement had been reached, with more details reported on Tuesday. The full terms of the trade are as follows:
- Knicks acquire Towns and the draft rights to James Nnaji.
- Timberwolves acquire Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and the Pistons’ 2025 first-round pick (top-13 protected; from Knicks).
- Hornets acquire DaQuan Jeffries (sign-and-trade), Charlie Brown Jr. (sign-and-trade), Duane Washington (sign-and-trade), either the Nuggets’ or Sixers’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Timberwolves), the Warriors’ 2026 second-round pick (from Knicks), the Knicks’ 2031 second-round pick, and cash ($7.2MM; from Knicks).
“We are beyond excited to welcome Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks family,” Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose said in a statement. “Karl-Anthony brings a skillset that is unique to the game of basketball. He possesses a blend of playmaking, shooting, rebounding and defending that in combination with his size allows him to compete at a level that is rare in this league. Karl-Anthony has demonstrated throughout his career to be a high caliber player and person on and off the court who will complement the type of team and culture we continue to build in New York.”
Minnesota waived camp invitee Jaedon LeDee in order to accommodate the one-for-three swap, while Charlotte cut guards Marcus Garrett and guard Caleb McConnell to make room on its roster for the three incoming players.
Both the Wolves and Hornets are now at their 21-man preseason limits, while the Knicks have five open spots on their 21-man squad. They’ll reportedly fill one of those spots by re-signing Chuma Okeke.
Our original report on the trade includes more details on the on-court implications of the move for the Knicks and Timberwolves. We also discussed how it will affect New York’s ability to fill out the rest of its regular season roster.
Here are a few more additional notes on the transaction:
- Randle received his full 15% trade bonus as part of the transaction, confirms ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). That bumps the forward’s cap hit for 2024/25 from $28,939,680 to $33,073,920. The cap charge for Randle’s ’25/26 player option ($30,935,520) remains unchanged, since the trade bonus doesn’t affect option years.
- Towns also had a trade kicker in his contract, but it’s voided because he’s already earning his maximum salary, Marks adds (via Twitter).
- The three players the Knicks signed-and-traded to the Hornets will each earn exactly $1 more than their respective minimum salaries, per Marks. That works out to $2,425,404 for Jeffries, $2,237,692 for Brown, and $2,162,607 for Washington. Teams aren’t permitted to aggregate multiple minimum-salary contracts for matching purposes in offseason trades, and since Bates-Diop is on a minimum deal, Jeffries, Brown, and Washington couldn’t be. Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link) has heard that the NBA “isn’t thrilled” about the way in which the Knicks circumvented that rule, but it’s technically legal.
- The Hornets used their $7,983,000 room exception to accommodate those three incoming salaries, becoming the first team to take advantage of the new rule allowing clubs to use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception, room exception, or bi-annual exception to acquire a player via trade. Charlotte now has just $1,157,297 left on that exception.
- The Timberwolves will create a $4,686,880 trade exception in the deal, which they’d be allowed to use this season despite being a second-apron team. Teams operating above either tax apron are prohibited from using trade exceptions that were generated during the previous season, but can use newly created TPEs.
- Because they sent approximately $7.2MM to the Hornets in the deal, were responsible for paying Randle’s $4.13MM trade bonus, and will reportedly pay Partizan Belgrade an estimated $850K for Washington’s buyout, the Knicks are on the hook for more than $12MM in cash, separate from player salaries, as a result of the deal.