When the Pelicans waived Matt Ryan during the preseason, it was a matter of when another NBA team would snap up the shooter, not if.
The when is the 4th of November and the who are the New York Knicks, a story broken by ESPN’s Shams Charania and later confirmed by multiple other reporters.
This is likely a non-guaranteed minimum contract deal that would tie the Knicks to the required minimum of 14 roster spots before the deadline (more on that below). If it’s non-guaranteed, the Knicks could waive Ryan after Landry Shamet recovers from his shoulder surgery, then re-sign Ryan to a two-way contract, something SNY.TV’s Ian Begley suggested.
Ryan, a White Plains, New York native, brings one elite skill to the table: Shooting. Ryan shot 45.1% from 3 in 28 games for the Pelicans last season, and for his career, he took nearly 80% of his shot attempts from beyond the arc and hit 41.1% of them. He also played for the Celtics, Lakers and Timberwolves in his career.
This move, along with the Knicks converting Ariel Hukporti to a standard rookie contract from a two-way deal, these are moves the franchise needed to make this week.
If the Knicks sign Ariel Hukporti to a rookie minimum deal and X (Matt Ryan?) to a veteran minimum deal tomorrow, November 5th, they will be just shy of $596K under the second apron.
That’s enough room to sign a second prorated veteran minimum deal on Feb. 24 for the 15th spot.
– Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) 4 November 2024
