The New York Knicks are taking a flier on Luka Samanic after the San Antonio Spurs waived the 21-year old Croatian.
On Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Knicks and Samanic have agreed on a two-way contract.
Samanic was the 19th pick of the 2019 NBA Draft after playing two seasons professionally in Europe.
The 6-foot-11 forward averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.9 minutes in his two seasons with the Spurs. During his rookie year, he averaged 5.5 points on 37.5 percent shooting from deep in 16 minutes. He added 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists as he rounded out the season as one of the Spurs’ intriguing young players.
Samanic scored a career-high 16 points against Utah Jazz during his rookie season. In the Spurs’ 119-93 dismantling of the Knicks last March 2, Samanic came off the bench to fire 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds in 20 minutes. He shot 3-of-5 from the three-point zone.
The Knicks roster is now 20 with 14 guaranteed spots and two-way players in rookie center Jericho Sims and Samanic.
As two-way players, Sims and Samanic can be on the Knicks’ active roster up to 50 games during the regular season.
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