From Zach Braziller:
An afterthought at this time last year, Jericho Sims now has a home with the Knicks.
The 58th pick in last year’s draft is signing a partially guaranteed three-year deal worth just shy of $6 million with the franchise after being on a two-way contract, The Post has confirmed.
The former Texas star appeared in 41 games last year and averaged 2.2 points and 4.1 rebounds. His playing time increased in the second half of the season, and the 6-foot-10 big man registered four double-digit rebounding games.
It’s uncertain if the Knicks will use part of their room mid-level exception for this deal. There is also the chance they could free up space if they work out a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks to land Jalen Brunson, who has agreed to a four-year, $104 million contract.
I’m a bit confused. Do the Knicks really not have enough cap room before using the room to give Sims less than $2 million a year? That seems hard to believe. In any event, this was a nice, low-cost signing that gives the Knicks some injury security in case Mitchell Robinson gets hurt (which is obviously not something that would shock you if it occurred). I was thrilled to see Sims develop late in the season when given a chance to play. I was okay with him being Mitch’s main backup this year, but hopefully he’ll still play a bit as the third-string center.
This is one of those moves that would be a good idea no matter what direction the Knicks were going in, so it’s nice to see.