The New York Knicks were targeting a possible reunion with former lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr., but they will officially not have the chance to bring him in.
Knicks miss out on reunion with Dennis Smith Jr.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday that Smith Jr. was signing a deal with the Dallas Mavericks, the team he was initially drafted by in 2017. Smith will compete for a roster spot with a Dallas team that also has big aspirations following their drafting of Cooper Flagg first overall earlier this summer.
The Knicks had brought in Smith for a workout earlier this week, and he impressed the team, per SNY’s Ian Begley. However, the team ultimately decided to add depth in the frontcourt as opposed to another guard.
New York signed Trey Jemison III to a two-way contract and also signed Alex Len to a training camp. The two bigs will compete for a potential spot on the active roster, with their center depth consisting of Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson, and Ariel Hukporti.
The Knicks have added a ton of depth this summer
Smith would have had steep competition to earn a roster spot with the Knicks. They have already signed Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet to non-guaranteed deals, and both players will likely make the active roster if they end up trading someone to free up cap space.
The former lottery pick is hoping to make an NBA comeback after playing with Real Madrid last season. Smith had a strong rookie season with the Mavericks before Luka Doncic’s arrival slowly phased him out, and he has been unable to maintain a consistent role in the league ever since.
As for New York, they will move forward with their recent additions and hope that the added depth can help them become an elite squad with championship potential.
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