The New York Knicks may have helped fix their depth issue this past Saturday with a clever move.
The NBA G League held its draft for the 2024-25 season on Saturday, and the Knicks’ affiliate in Westchester used two top picks to select two veterans who could potentially join the team later in the season.
With the No.1 overall pick, the Knicks selected Matt Ryan, a 6-foot-6 forward who originally went undrafted in 2020 when he first declared for the NBA. Since then, Ryan has played on multiple G-league teams and a few NBA teams, such as the Los Angeles Lakers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and most recently, the New Orleans Pelicans.
The 27-year-old averaged 5.4 points for the Pelicans in the 2023-24 season, shooting an impressive 45.1% behind the 3-point line.
It was reported that the Knicks were highly interested in signing Ryan, per Evan Sidery. Instead of signing him to a contract though, the organization decided to draft him, which can help the team financially and give them time to offer him a two-way deal. Ryan would be a great addition off the bench, which needs more perimeter shooting.
The second player they selected out of the G-league draft was guard Landry Shamet, who the Knicks had initially signed to an Exhibit-9 deal before the season started.
He was expected to have a major role off the bench, adding playmaking and scoring. However, he got hurt during the preseason and was then waived. The Knicks, however, have optimism that Shamet will make a recovery this season and want him to be a part of the team when that happens. Therefore, being on the Westchester Knicks allows him to continue his rehab process while not technically taking up an official roster spot.
In essence, they drafted both Shamet and Ryan so that they wouldn’t have to sign both those players and pay them more now than they would have to later on if they choose to give them roster spots. That way, they also won’t exceed the second apron.
