Knicks Waive Paul Watson
The Knicks once again opened a spot on their training camp roster by waiving a player who appears destined for their G League team, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. This time it’s Paul Watson, a shooting guard from Fresno State who signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the team Friday.
Watson follows Tyrius Walker, John Jenkins and Billy Garrett, who have all been signed and quickly waived in the past week.
Watson played for New York’s Westchester affiliate last season, so the Knicks already owned his returning G League rights. However, the Exhibit 10 clause gives him the chance for a $50K bonus if he spends at least two months in Westchester this season. He averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 45 games last year.
Knicks Sign Paul Watson
The Knicks‘ 20th-man carousel continues to rotate, with the team announcing today (via Twitter) that it has signed former Fresno State shooting guard Paul Watson to fill the opening on its roster.
Watson, who went undrafted in 2017, played for the Westchester Knicks last season, averaging 6.2 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 45 G League games (23 starts). He also played five games for the Knicks’ Las Vegas Summer League squad in July.
The Knicks already had Watson’s returning NBAGL rights, so signing him doesn’t change that — it does give the club a chance to give him a bonus worth up to $50K via the Exhibit 10 clause if he rejoins the Westchester Knicks and spends at least two months with the club this season. That bonus won’t count against New York’s NBA salary cap.
Like Tyrius Walker, John Jenkins, and Billy Garrett before him, Watson will likely be waived by the Knicks shortly after being signed.
Central Notes: Pistons, Bucks, Wade, Pacers
A pair of Michigan prospects are among the players to work out for the Pistons this week, with both Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin getting a look from the club. Walton was part of a Tuesday workout group that also included Tony Bradley (UNC), Melo Trimble (Maryland), Davon Reed (Miami), Peter Jok (Iowa), and Luke Fischer (Marquette) (Twitter links via Rod Beard of The Detroit News and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com).
Meanwhile, Irvin’s pre-draft workout will take place today, as the Pistons audition a group that also features Tyler Lydon (Syracuse), Marcus Keene (Central Michigan), Bryce Alford (UCLA), Derek Willis (Kentucky), and T.J. Cline (Richmond), per Langlois (Twitter link).
As Detroit weighs its draft options, let’s round up a few more items from around the Central division…
- The Bucks, who have the 17th overall pick in this year’s draft, brought in former Texas center Jarrett Allen on Tuesday and will get a look at ex-Kentucky big man Bam Adebayo today, according to a pair of press releases from the team. Milwaukee is also taking a look at a handful of other prospects today, though Antone Warren (Antelope Valley), Hassan Martin (Rhode Island), Sebastian Saiz (Ole Miss), Jack Gibbs (Davidson), and Dallas Moore (North Florida) aren’t viewed as first-round candidates.
- During an appearance on CSN Chicago’s SportsTalk Live, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (video link) discussed Dwyane Wade‘s player option, Wade’s potential role as a sixth man for the Bulls, Nikola Mirotic‘s restricted free agency, and more.
- The Pacers are working out Dylan Ennis (Oregon), Jawun Evans (Oklahoma State), Amile Jefferson (Duke), Zach LeDay (Virginia Tech), Paul Watson Jr. (Fresno State), and Nigel Williams-Goss (Gonzaga) today, the team announced in a press release.