Blinksportsnews247Even though the formal trade deadline (February 8) has passed by more than a week, not all teams in the Association have completed building their rosters or complied with NBA regulations for the regular season.
With trades no longer permitted until after the playoffs, teams in the lower division are attempting to get the finest players still available via the free-agent/buyout market in order to create their rosters.
As soon as Miami dealt Kyle Lowry to Charlotte, teams like Philadelphia were able to get him. The Lakers failed to acquire Spencer Dinwiddie last week, but they were able to persuade him to sign a contract. Danilo Gallinari, a former forward with the Knicks, has joined the Bucks, while Thaddeus Young has signed with the Suns. It goes on and on.
One thing is certain: coming ahead, all NBA teams must have at least 14 players registered to their regular roster. We are unsure of who will sign where next. One of those teams is not the Knicks (12), so between now and next Thursday, February 22, they will need to sign two players.
There is a small falsehood in that statement, though. Taj Gibson is one of the 13 players that the Knicks currently have on their roster. The problem is that Gibson is currently bound by a second—and final—10-day contract that ends on Monday, February 19. The Knicks are unable to extend his 10-day contract, thus he will not be playing for the team on Tuesday unless he signs a new contract for the duration of the campaign. Either fully waive him for the balance of the year, or not.
That being said, even if Gibson is gassed, washed, and any other exhausting adjective you can think of to describe him, don’t rule out New York signing him for the duration of the regular season and the postseason.
He will not put up a fight during talks and becomes quickly accepted into Thibs’ inner circle of trust.
Taj won’t likely play a significant role, if any, after Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle heal from their injuries (let’s hope!). However, he will be receiving his reps as the future assistant coach Thibs has always imagined having next to him, on the bench, a la Udonis Haslem in Miami for the previous two, three, or seven seasons.
However, it’s impossible to determine who will occupy the other roster place.
According to a beat reporter for SNY, Ian Begley reported that the Knicks “have been exploring, per people familiar with the matter, signing one—or more—of their G League players to a standard contract.” This is the most recent information we have concerning who will be signed to the 14th place.
Begley claims that the team views that as a “reward/promotion for a player—or players—who have excelled with Westchester.”
It’s simple to name the contenders on that front: Duane Washington, Charlie Brown Jr., and Jacob Toppin. Since they are now on two-way contracts, they would all sign regular, ordinary NBA deals to play the rest of the season.
There hasn’t been much information out about possible buyout candidates joining with New York in the next few days and before the playoffs, besides reporters covering the Knicks up close. (Remember, in order to be eligible to participate in the postseason, a player needs to be waived and become a free agent by March 1st).
The only insider to connect the Knicks to a player who isn’t with the team right now but was once a proud Knickerbocker is Michael Scotto of HoopsHype: free agency center Nerlens Noel.
The Knicks, Rockets, and Hornets all reportedly showing “exploratory” interest in Noel. The Kings waived him in September of last year, and he hasn’t signed a new deal since. He hasn’t even played in a single game this season.
During his tenure with the Knicks in 2021 and 2022, Scotto added that Noel “was liked by coach Tom Thibodeau.” In 89 games (52 of which he started), Noel averaged 23.7 MPG and posted averages of 4.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.9 BPG.
Noel was dealt by the Knicks in the summer of 2022 along with Alec Burks in order to free up contract space for Jalen Brunson’s signing. Noel played in just 17 games for the Pistons before being dismissed a few months later in February of the previous year.
Other possible candidates (no leaked information, just conjecture) to sign a contract with New York include Marcus Morris Sr. (San Antonio Spurs), Robin Lopez (Sacramento Kings), and Danuel House (Detroit Pistons). All are free agents currently or are anticipated to be acquired shortly; however, the transaction must occur before February 22 in order for the Knicks to have an opportunity to sign them under the 14-man minimum roster-size rule.
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