The New York Knicks have had quite the offseason, adding Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns but losing Isaiah Hartenstein, Donte DiVincenzo, and Julius Randle. From purely a talent standpoint, this new iteration the Knicks should be better than last season’s. The acquisitions should help them be better defensively and from outside the arc.
Frankly, they may not quite match up with the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers. In fact, the Sixers arguably have the best roster of any team in the NBA, top to bottom. To that point, while New York has a formidable first unit, isn’t as strong as a team like Philadelphia’s. As of today, the players projected to come off of the Knicks bench are Cam Payne, Miles McBride, Precious Achiuwa, and Mitchell Robinson.
Only one of those players, Payne, is considered a consistent scoring threat.
Knicks Sign Lottery Pick TJ Warren After KAT Trade Becomes Official
The Knicks attempted to re-sign Marcus Morris and Chuma Okeke, who they waived in order to complete the Towns trade. Okeke was brought back into the fold, signing an Exhibit 10 contract, per a team announcement. Morris declined the opportunity and is now looking for a new home.
New York then signed three more players: Alex O’Connell, Damion Baugh, and TJ Warren. O’Connell and Baugh’s additions were announced by the team’s PR account on X (formerly known as Twitter). Warren’s signing was revealed by SportsNet New York’s Ian Begley.
Knicks are signing veteran wing TJ Warren to an Exhibit 10 deal, per SNY sources
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 2, 2024
Of the three newest Knicks, Warren has the most solid body of work.
Is TJ Warren Healthy?
After being selected 14th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, the NC State product made a name for himself as a scorer. From 2016-17 to 2020-21, he averaged 17.9 points per game on 50.6 percent shooting from the field and 35.6 percent shooting from three-point range. Then Warren suffered a foot injury that’s limited him to 53 games over the past two seasons.
If Warren has gotten enough distance from his stress fracture to play comfortably, he’s still a rotation-caliber player. The Knicks, who are the first team since 2022 to sign Warren before the season, will be able to determine how healthy he is.
With that being said, Warren recently worked out for the Sacramento Kings, but it’s unclear why they didn’t ink him to a deal. The first thought may be that Warren’s foot isn’t fully healed or that he’s not the player he once was. Still, the Kings could have offered Warren a training camp contract. If the 31-year-old believes he had a better chance to make the Knicks’ roster or have a real role in New York, he might have declined.
Warren also might have just not been a fit in Sacramento. Frankly, the Kings need a high-level defender and off-ball threat. At his best, Warren can fill those roles. Nonetheless, he’s more of an offensive-minded on-ball scorer. That doesn’t quite match the Code of Tom Thibodeau. However, as previously mentioned, the Knicks need to add more firepower to their bench.
