Frank to stay a Knick

Frank Ntilikina won’t hit the free-agent market this summer. The Knicks locked him up for another year.

The Knicks picked up the Frenchman’s $6.2 million contract option for the 2020-21 season, a decision that needed to be made by Halloween. They also picked up contract options for Kevin Knox ($4.6 million) and Dennis Smith Jr. ($5.7 million), but Ntilikina’s was the only one in question.

The 21-year-old was the eighth overall pick in 2017 as the last major move by Phil Jackson before he was fired. Ntilikina was picked in part because of his fit in the triangle offense but never played in that system. Instead, he mostly sat on the bench for either Jeff Hornacek or David Fizdale.

His two-season averages are not pretty: 5.9 points, 3.2 assists, 1.7 turnovers, 21.6 minutes, 35% shooting. Still, Ntilikina has shown potential as a lockdown perimeter defender and has garnered interest in the trade market.

Picking up his option made sense even if the Knicks don’t see Ntilikina as part of the future plans. The only thing gained by letting him go is cap space for next summer, and the Knicks haven’t done much with cap space. The 2020 free-agent class is also weak. The Knicks now control Ntilikina until the summer of 2021 and can still trade him.

Ntilikina was fantastic for France in the summer’s FIBA World Cup, but that didn’t translate to preseason NBA success. He shot just 29% in the four preseason games and doesn’t appear a candidate for a starting spot.