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New York Knicks: Who could be affected by Allonzo Trier’s contract?

By Alex Rubinfeld

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 17: Allonzo Trier #14 of the New York Knicks dunks the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the game on October 17, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 17: Allonzo Trier #14 of the New York Knicks dunks the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the game on October 17, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks Luke Kornet (Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images)
New York Knicks Luke Kornet (Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images) /

Who could be waived?

If the Knicks don’t want to go through the process of trading one of their younger guards or veterans, the easiest route would be to waive one of their players to make room for Trier. The Knicks would obviously not be able to cut any cap in this situation, but it serves as an easy solution for the Knicks’ management.

In this likely scenario, there are two players that should come into every Knicks fan’s mind:

Luke Kornet

I am actually a big proponent of Luke Kornet‘s game. He fits well with today’s big men with his mix of size, ability to spread the floor and his potential on defense. The former Vanderbilt Commodore was one of the Knicks’ undrafted rookies along with Isaiah Hicks to receive a two-way contract, which has turned into a one-year, $1.6 million contract.

Though it was in a lost season for the Knicks, Kornet showed some flashes of being a capable spark off the bench last season. His rebounding was a bit lackluster as a 7-foot-1, 250-pound center with only 3.2 TRB, but he was able to score 6.7 PPG, and defend the paint with 0.8 BPG in 16.3 minutes per game.

His shot percentage last season (39.3 FG percent) was unimpressive for a big man, but what did stand out was his effective field goal percentage which stood at 50.4 percent due to his 35.4 3PT percent. A feat that is very encouraging for a rookie big man.

Though Kornet may not be a starter in the league, he looks like he can potentially be a strong rotational player similar to that of the 76er’s big man Mike Muscala, but with a much better ability to block shots.

Statistics stand out, and Kornet is a good option for the Knicks, but it does not change the fact that he is still a likely player to be waived. His contract offers barely any liability to the Knicks if waived, and he has still remained out of the Knicks’ rotation this season, even with the constant adjustments Fizdale has made to the rotation and Mitchell Robinson‘s consistent foul woes that have limited his playing time.

Kornet’s main contributions this season have been to the Westchester Knicks, where he has been one of their more productive players on a team that is the number one seed in the G-League Eastern Conference.

At this point the new-age big man seems to only be here for injury insurance and G-League play, and is unlikely to step close the Garden’s court if and when Kristaps Porzingis returns this season from his ACL injury sustained last season.

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