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Rookie forward Kris Wilkes will no longer play for the New York Knicks this season on a two-way contract, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman.
Wilkes, undrafted out of UCLA, had a verbal agreement with the Knicks, but will be unable to honor it due to injuries. Though he won't be healthy enough to begin the regular season, New York will reportedly monitor his progress, and still has interest in bringing him back once he's healthy.
The Knicks had an extremely active offseason, turning over much of their roster after striking out on each of their big-name targets in free agency. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the superstar tandem long rumored to be favoring New York, added insult to injury by not just refusing to take a meeting with the Knicks, but signing with the cross-river Brooklyn Nets.
New York rebounded by bringing in several players on short-term deals who don't clog up the salary sheet going forward. Julius Randle is the most notable of the team's summer additions, and should put up big numbers as the Knicks' primary offensive option. Marcus Morris is a steady, two-way player on the wing, and Bobby Portis has his fans around the league as a flammable floor-stretcher. Taj Gibson is one of the most dependable bigs in basketball, too.
But New York's team-building strategy seems to have failed to take into account existing talent on the roster and how those new pieces fit alongside them. Kevin Knox, for instance, is best suited for power forward long-term, but could be forced to play most of his minutes on the wing. Mitchell Robinson is perhaps more deserving of minutes than any of his young teammates, but his playing time will inevitably squeezed by Randle, Gibson, and Portis. Prized rookie R.J. Barrett could be affected by a similar dynamic on the perimeter, too.
The Knicks went 17-65 last season, worst in the Eastern Conference.
