Source: Knicks may bring Shved back
Grateful Shved? According to an NBA source, the Knicks are contemplating offering productive Russian combo guard Alexey Shved their $ 2.8 million room exception given to under the cap teams that have reached the cap benchmark.
Shved, appreciative the Knicks gave him a chance after a couple of rocky, unfulfilled seasons with Minnesota, Philadelphia and Houston, probably would accept it.
But he’s just one candidate. The Knicks are still shopping what is left of their money to spend this offseason— sans the minimum contracts they can offer. They have had talks with 35yearold shooting guard Caron Butler, who played last season with Milwaukee, and veteran shooting guard Willie Green, 33, who played for Orlando last season.
According to the source, Shved has two other NBA teams interested as well as a handful of European offers. Shved, 26, told The Post after last season he hoped to return to New York after grasping team president Phil Jackson’s triangle offense before suffering a broken rib in late March, ending his season.
With an ability to drive the ball, draw fouls and shoot from deep, the 6foot6 Russian averaged 14.8 points in 16 games and impressed Jackson immensely after he traded for him at February’s deadline, giving up Pablo Prigioni and a trade exception. The Rockets dealt the former Timberwolves draft pick because they feared he was headed back to Europe.
The Knicks need more scoring on a rebuilt roster that could resemble an expansion team, especially if fourthoverall pick Kristaps Porzingis is not ready to produce as a 19yearold rookie.
Jackson has added six players since the June 25 draft and has five roster spots left. But all their $ 28 million cap space is gone — spread among four role players with the jewel being defensive center Robin Lopez. With stars shunning the Knicks, Jackson also signed serviceable shooting guard Arron Afflalo, young power forward Kyle O’Quinn and 2011 draft bust Derrick Williams.
Of the spots left, four could get filled by grinders from last season’s 1765 squad and, no, Andrea Bargnani is not in the picture. Jackson had said he didn’t want to bring in “nine newplayers’’ and maintain some semblance of chemistry.
Ricky Ledo, the 22yearold 67 shooting guard, will be on the Knicks’ summer league team that debuts Saturday and has a small guarantee for next season. Jackson envisions Ledo being able to play some backup small forward in a pinch. Ledo played 12 games down the stretch after being waived by Dallas and showed he can shoot from outside and drive to the hole. He wasn’t in the best shape, needs to improve defensively and take better care of the basketball. He has been working out with Knicks coaches for most of the last 2 ¹ / ₂ months.
Jackson wanted to resign center Jason Smith, but he is expected to have offers greater than what’s left for the Knicks to give him — a starting wage of $ 2.8 million. It’s too bad because Smith told brass hewanted to come back, believing the system fit him perfectly because of his midrange jumper.
In an interview with Basketball Insiders website Sunday, O’Quinn, a South Jamaica, Queens native, said the Knicks were always on the television in his house and said the first game he ever attended was, coincidentally, Magic Knicks. O’Quinn, 25, signed a fouryear, $ 16 million deal and the Knicks view the unsung 6foot10 rebounder as part of their future.
“Of course I grew up a Knicks fan. If you’re from New York, you’ve gotta grow up a Knicks fan,’’ O’Quinn said. “They dominated my TV growing up. And whatever the Knicks do — whether doing good or bad — it’s always on the front page of the sports section. It was good entertainment for me when I was a young’n.’’