Knicks sign Trier to 2-year deal, dump Baker
Allonzo Trier got a new contract and Ron Baker was sent packing.
A source confirmed the Knicks will use their bi-annual exception to sign Trier, with ESPN reporting that the deal includes a team option for next season. Trier will receive roughly $3.4 million this season, according to a source.
The Knicks needed to make a move on Trier because his two-way contract was expiring this month. Their preference was to create a roster spot through a trade, but that obviously didn’t happen and Baker, the fan favorite with shaggy hair, was the casualty. Baker was also an undrafted rookie whom the Knicks signed to a two-year contract in the summer of 2017, but he never consistently cracked the
rotation and was injured for most of last season. After losing a big supporter in Jeff Hornacek, Baker was a regular DNP this season under coach David Fizdale.
“Ron is a true professional and we thank him for all of his contributions during his time with the Knicks,” team president Steve Mills said in a statement. “His dedication and passion for the game are unquestioned and have been truly appreciated by our fans and organization. We wish him all the best.”
The other candidate for the cut was center Luke Kornet, who is also on an expiring deal but at a lesser number ($1.6 million). However, the Knicks have a glut of guards and just three centers (Enes Kanter, Mitchell Robinson, Kornet).
Baker was one of two significant signings completed by Mills before he hired GM Scott Perry. It was a two-year, $9 million pact with a player option for this season – a contract that was widely thumped around the league.
Baker now represents the fourth player waived by the Knicks with a guaranteed contract in the last two seasons. The others were Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Ramon Sessions and Joakim Noah.
The Knicks were hoping to make a trade to create a roster spot for Trier, but obviously that didn’t work out. Trier is out with a hamstring strain for at least the next two games, including Friday at Charlotte. He has been somewhat of a revelation for the Knicks and has lived up to his nickname – ISO-ZO – as a guard adept at creating his own shot.
The 22-year-old is averaging 11.3 points on 47 percent shooting off the bench. He went undrafted out of Arizona partly because he twice tested positive for PEDs, although in both instances Trier won the appeal.
Trier’s option for next season is roughly $3.5 million, but the Knicks may need to decline it in order to have enough cap space for a max free agent. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Trier would become a restricted free agent if the Knicks don’t pick up the option and could then be re-signed outside of the cap.
The Knicks currently project to be roughly $9 million short of enough cap space to sign Kevin Durant to a max deal. They’re trying to shed Courtney Lee to get there. Another option is to trade Tim Hardaway Jr.