The New York Knicks G-League squad in Westchester saw one of their players sign with a different NBA team following Thursday’s trade deadline. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Chuma Okeke signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Knicks’ G-League standout Chuma Okeke signs with the 76ers
Okeke, 26, signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Knicks before the start of training camp but never appeared in a game with them. He has spent the majority of the season in the G-League, where he averaged 17.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists across 16 games.
The 6-6 forward has four years of NBA experience, all with the Orlando Magic. He has career averages of 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 189 games and 55 starts with Orlando.
Okeke could find a role with the 76ers
The Knicks did not have much room on the roster to fit Okeke in the rotation. Landry Shamet has been the team’s backup wing for the past couple of weeks, but head coach Tom Thibodeau has continued to utilize a rotation that involves no more than nine players.
As for the 76ers, they get themselves a veteran wing who could end up having a positive impact with them. Philadelphia has had injury troubles this season, and they also traded away Caleb Martin and KJ Martin, so Okeke could use this opportunity to earn a larger role with Philadelphia.
The Knicks were rather quiet during the trade deadline, with their only move being Jericho Sims getting dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Delon Wright as part of the Khris Middleton and Kyle Kuzma deal with the Wizards.