The Knicks only have 14 players in their roster, needing one more to comply with NBA rules.
Last Monday (coinciding with the deadline to sign such deals) the New York Knicks signed Jacob Toppin to a new two-way deal for the remainder of the season, making him part of their NBA roster as well as allowing them to move him up and down between the Association and the G League freely.
The Knicks were also working on adding former Detroit Pistons bought-out guard Shake Milton, which they made official before the matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday—Milton was dressed but didn’t play then.
Those two additions moved New York’s roster into 14-man territory, which is still below the 15-man minimum as per the NBA regulations. Under the League’s rulebook, teams are allowed to have sub-14-man squads (all of those players under standard contracts) for a maximum of two weeks.
The Knicks (as well as the Philadelphia 76ers) have currently two open roster spots, which gives them a bit of flexibility regarding potential additions from now to their particular deadline to fill the minimum quota, coming on March 16th.
The Timberwolves were part of that group until yesterday, when they signed T.J. Warren to a 10-day deal, leaving the Knicks and the Sixers (their deadline will come one day earlier than the Knicks’, on Mar. 15) as the lone franchises with two contracts up for grabs.
Both the 76ers and the Knicks could benefit from adding one or two players to their ravaged squads, which are missing key starters right now—Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid in Philly; OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and Jalen Brunson in Manhattan—and would provide some relief in added depth.
One potential addition the Knicks might consider before hitting their deadline is veteran forward Taj Gibson, who signed a 10-day deal with the Detroit Pistons on Wed., Mar. 6, and that will expire on Mar. 16 coinciding with the Knicks’ deadline to add someone to their roster.
Gibson has signed three contracts with the Knicks this season at different points, the first one in December following Robinson’s injury, then again in January, and finally in mid-February. The latter two contracts were 10-day pacts, which means the Knicks can only sign Gibson to a long-term deal (meaning for the remainder of the season) going forward if they want to bring him back.
Another player available in the free-agent market with eligibility for the postseason is forward Marcus Morris, who was traded from Philadelphia to the San Antonio Spurs but never dressed for his new team, instead reaching an agreement for the buyout of his contract.
Both the Timberwolves (via Patrick Beverly’s podcast) have been linked to the veteran, although no news has been reported touching on a potential contract getting signed by any means.
Morris has not spoken about his interest in joining Minny, either, and with Warren getting signed last Wednesday it’s possible the franchise doesn’t want him anymore. That said, Karl Anthony-Towns has been ruled out from Thursday’s game with knee soreness, so they might entertain adding Morris on a short-term deal to soften the load on KAT for the next few days.
From the Knicks’ angle, it might make sense to add Morris on a low-money deal considering the depleted frontcourt of New York. In light of injuries to Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson—who are expected back but still working on their rehab processes—and also given that Isaiah Hartenstein is dealing with Achilles issues daily that are impacting his playing time, this connection should surprise no one.
The Knicks still have nearly 10 days to find someone they like, or they can simply move some of their two-way players (Jacob Toppin, Duane Washington Jr., Charlie Brown Jr.) to standard contracts by then and abide by the rules that way.
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