No Maurice Ndour, no problem.
The Knicks have moved onto two other undrafted free agents.
Shlomo Sprung of Sheridan Hoops:
Former Virginia forward Darion Atkins plans to sign a partially guaranteed contract with the #Knicks, a source tells @sheridanhoops.
— Shlomo Sprung (@SprungOnSports) July 24, 2015
Shams Charania of RealGM:
Undrafted Harvard guard Wesley Saunders has agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with the New York Knicks, league sources tell RealGM.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 25, 2015
New York has a couple open roster spots, so Atkins and Saunders might have a chance to make the regular-season roster.
But the Knicks also have the $2,814,000 room exception remaining – which could be used on a veteran that fills one roster spot.
Most likely, Atkins and Saunders are headed to the Knicks’ D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. New York can waive the players after training camp and assign their D-League rights to Westchester. The partially guaranteed contracts allow the Knicks to funnel more money to the players over their low D-League salaries.
Atkins, a power forward out of Virginia, probably has a better chance of making the NBA squad. He’s a defensive-minded power forward, a shot-blocker who also moves well on the perimeter. His offense is limited, though.
Saunders is a well-rounded shooting guard out of Harvard. He’ll have to prove he says some niche an NBA team can use in a specific role.