Knicks nab Duke’s Marshall Plumlee
The Knicks need a center, and at least their summer league team has a familiar name — Duke’s 7-footer Marshall Plumlee, according to a source. Plumlee, who finished his senior season with the Blue Devils, went undrafted on Thursday and could be invited to training camp if he shows well in Orlando, Fla., where the Knicks open July 2. Their first summer league practice is Wednesday.
Plumlee’s two brothers are in the NBA. Mason is an ex-Net who now plays for the Blazers. Miles is on the Bucks but once played for Jeff Hornacek in Phoenix.
Marshall Plumlee, who turns 24 in July, averaged 8.6 rebounds for Duke, shot 68.8 percent, blocked 1.6 shots but averaged just 8.3 points last season.
The Knicks are desperate to fill out a 15-man roster within the confines of the salary cap. They have just five players under contract.
After their Big 3 that includes Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, there is power forward Kyle O’Quinn and newcomer Justin Holiday, a fifth-year, fringe shooting guard and brother of Jrue. If the Knicks keep cap holds on Derrick Williams, Lance Thomas and Langston Galloway in order to re-sign them once they go over the cap, team president Phil Jackson would start the summer at $32 million of cap space, according to former Nets capologist Bobby Marks, who now works for The Vertical.
Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony will be together Monday for a press conference in Manhattan. Former Post basketball writer Peter Vecsey, on WFAN, said Anthony and Durant were at a dinner together Friday. The Knicks haven’t gotten confirmation on a Durant meeting as of yet. The Vertical had reported they were excluded from the July 1 meeting list that featured Golden State, Boston, Clippers, Heat, Spurs and Thunder. The report branded the Knicks as “outsiders. An OKC TV station reported Durant likely will sign a five-year deal with the Thunder. ... Knicks need a shooting guard and ex-Knick Jamal Crawford appears intrigued. He is not on the top of Jackson’s list, but the reigning Sixth Man of the Year emailed Saturday morning: “I can’t answer directly because I’m not free but anything is possible.’’ ... Hornacek’s coaching staff is shaping up. After Kurt Rambis, who may coach summer league, Hornacek will bring in former Phoenix assistants Jerry Sichting and Corey Gaines. Hornacek will retain Josh Longstaff, who recently came back from Latvia to work with Porzingis and is expected to head to Los Angeles later in the summer on Rose duty.