Veteran big man Taj Gibson agreed to run it back with coach Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks for one more year.
Ian Begley of SNY first reported the deal that will pay Gibson $2.7 million next season, the equivalent to the veteran minimum’s salary for an NBA player with 10 years of experience. Gibson’s salary would not count against the Knicks’ salary cap.
Taj Gibson has agreed to a one-year, $2.7 million deal to return to the Knicks, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells SNY.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) August 3, 2021
After re-joining the team mid-season as frontline insurance, the 36-year old Brooklyn native averaged 5.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 20.8 minutes per game. He shot 62.7% from the field while being Thibodeau’s emergency backup, who ended up playing a pivotal role after injuries to Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel threatened Knicks’ playoff chances.
The Knicks can officially make the deal once they go over the cap. John Hollinger of The Athletic explained that the Knicks used their Early Bird rights on Derrick Rose’s three-year, $43 million deal, giving them some wiggle room to make another move.
“The Knicks have just under $9 million in cap room remaining and could extend it to $11.4 million by waiving Luca Vildoza’s $3.3 million number (the league would put a cap hold of $925,259 in its place); the Knicks could also extend their room by putting little-used Kevin Knox ($5.8 million) into a sign-and-trade,” Hollinger wrote.
The Knicks can use the remaining cap room to sign a point guard or a wing.
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