According to multiple news sources, the New York Knicks are in the process of signing free agent point guard Tony Wroten to a three-year deal.
Tony Wroten Finalizing Three-Year Deal With Knicks (via @ShamsCharania): https://t.co/3ZZzLzgeqX pic.twitter.com/PMyuBUQvei
— RealGM (@RealGM) March 7, 2016
Sources say the second and third year of the deal are only partially guaranteed, making it pretty easy for the Knicks to cut ties with Wroten after this season or next, should things not work out.
Financials for the deal have yet to be disclosed but one can assume it is close to the league minimum.
Tony Wroten averaged 8.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in eight games for the 76ers this season before being released in December.
It is definitely a letdown for the Knicks that they were unable to acquire Jeff Teague or Ricky Rubio before the deadline. Many also thought they may be the landing spot for Ty Lawson after he was bought out last week but that didn’t happen so the Knicks have decided to take a flyer on Wroten. He’s a very big point guard who may be inefficient and unable to shoot at this point in his career but can really fill a stat sheet.
The Knicks currently have the weakest grouping of point guards in the NBA as the position is split between 34-year-old Jose Calderon, Langston Galloway and rookie Jerian Grant. Calderon and Galloway both average 7.7 points per game and none of the three guards average more than 3.9 assists per game.
Wroten will need some time to learn the triangle offense, so I doubt he makes much difference the rest of this season. But if he works hard and improves in the offseason, he can take hold of a premier bench guard role as the Knicks look to find a better starting option through free agency, trades or the draft.
