Frank likely to wind up with Mavs
Frank Ntilikina will likely join several former Knicks down south.
The French guard is poised to sign with the Mavericks, according to reporter Marc Stein on Substack, who said Jason Kidd’s squad is eager to see if it can develop Ntilikina “better than the Knicks did.”
With Ntilikina, the Mavericks would feature five recent former Knicks on their roster, highlighted by Kristaps Porzingis. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke are also returning, while Reggie Bullock was plucked this summer in free agency.
Ntilikina, 23, was drafted eighth overall by Phil Jackson in 2017 and represented the longest-tenured Knick before they relinquished his rights last month. He was a fan favorite, but his career — filled with injuries, ugly offensive stats and four coaches in four years — never got off the ground.
The Mavericks already carry the limit of 15 guaranteed contracts on their roster but could easily waive Moses Brown or Tyrell Terry to sign Ntilikina.
Beyond it being a low-risk gamble for a team pushing toward contention, a Ntilikina-Mavericks pairing makes sense.
Porzingis played 1 ½ seasons with Ntilikina on the Knicks and was a fan, even joining a small group of players who unsuccessfully requested that the Frenchman be inserted into the starting lineup during his rookie season, according to a source (Jeff Hornacek was the coach).
More recently, in 2019, Ntilikina’s arguably best NBA games occurred against the Mavericks, when he helped thwart Luka Doncic and boosted the Knicks to their biggest wins of an otherwise miserable season.
The Mavericks have become a haven for European players, with Porzingis of Latvia, Luka Doncic of Slovenia, Maxi Kleber of Germany and Boban Marjanovic of Serbia already on the roster. They also have a new coach (another former Knick, Kidd), who is always keen on developing young guards.
Dallas was rumored as a draft-day destination for Ntilikina, but the Knicks picked him one spot ahead of the Mavericks’ slot. Dallas instead chose Dennis Smith Jr., who was traded to the Knicks less than two years later in the deal for Porzingis.
The Knicks never showed an interest in re-signing Ntilikina, who was pulled from the rotation last season and then underwhelmed at the Olympics for France. In his final big moment for the Knicks — and probably the biggest moment of his Knicks career — Ntilikina was inserted into Game 1 of the playoffs for a defensive possession and gave up the winner to Trae Young.