New York Knicks Sign Two Players, Carmelo Anthony Voted Best Teammate
The New York Knicks have had an interesting and hectic offseason, to say the least. Team President Phil Jackson and the team agreed to part ways at the end of June. This led the team to eventually promote Steve Mills to replace Jackson and hire Sacramento Kings’ executive vice president Scott Perry to be their general manager. There was also all the trade speculation surrounding star Carmelo Anthony, which will be mentioned in more detail later.
They moved on from former MVP Derrick Rose by taking France’s Frank Ntilikina in the draft. New York added veterans Ramon Sessions and Michael Beasley, and locked in Ron Baker with a two-year, $9.9 million deal in the process of resigning him. They also gave restricted free agent Tim Hardaway, Jr. a four-year, $71 million deal.
However, the New York Knicks are still making moves even with training camp about a month away. As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks and undrafted free agent Nigel Hayes agreed to a partially guaranteed contract yesterday. The 22-year-old Hayes spent four years playing for the Wisconsin Badgers and was a key piece of their 2015 team that made it to the national championship game. Hayes played for the Knicks during the Orlando Summer League in July, where he averaged 5.2 points, five rebounds, and 1.4 assists.
Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes has agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with the Knicks, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 18, 2017
The Knicks also added Jamel Artis, an undrafted rookie out of Pittsburgh. His agent, Daniel Hazan, told ESPN that the two sides had agreed to a partially-guaranteed deal today. Like Hayes, Artis also played for the Knicks during the Orlando Summer League. He averaged 8.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 49 percent from the field and 41 percent on three-pointers. Artis also spent all four seasons in college and was a starter for the last three years.
Meanwhile, Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was honored by his fellow Knicks teammates. He was voted “Best Teammate” by his peers on the team. The award was announced today as part of the NBA Players Association’s Players Voice Awards. Anthony is a popular player in the locker room and around the NBA, while also serving as a respected mentor to Kristaps Porzingis.
Of course, this all comes as trade talks and rumors have swirled around Anthony since the NBA’s offseason started. The Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers have been the two major teams trying to get the Knicks to part with him. However, the lack of a sufficient enough offer for the Knicks, and having to find a third-team to join in has left Anthony stuck in limbo. Reportedly, Anthony will only waive his no-trade clause to go to Houston. A few days ago it was reported that league sources told ESPN that the Knicks and Rockets have re-engaged in trade talks.
[Featured Image by Mike Stobe/Getty Images]
