The New York Knicks have signed Allonzo Trier to a new contract, removing the two-way label. How much money will he receive?
Allonzo Trier‘s contract status became a topic of conversation when the New York Knicks kept him on the main roster for the regular season. That’s instead of sending the Arizona product to the G League, as he signed a two-way deal after the 2018 NBA Draft.
Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog previously reported Trier’s situation would resolve soon, before he suffered a hamstring injury that could have delayed the inevitable.
Well, the Knicks have followed through with Trier’s contract. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the 22-year-old has signed a two-year deal for the bi-annual exception.
To make roster space, the team will release Ron Baker.
The New York Knicks and two-way guard Allonzo Trier have agreed to a two-year deal, per league sources on @TheAthleticNBA @WatchStadium. The Knicks are expected to release Ron Baker to create roster space, league sources said.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 13, 2018
Trier is signing two-year NBA deal using Knicks' bi-annual exception, league sources said. Trier has become part of Knicks' future after going undrafted and agreeing to two-way deal on draft night in June. https://t.co/Ks1X8ZsiNi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 13, 2018
According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, the deal is worth $7 million, with the second season as a team option.
Allonzo Trier's two-year contract is for $7 million and has a team option for the second year, per ESPN sources. Ron Baker will be waived to make room for Trier.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) December 13, 2018
The Knicks had $3.38 million of their bi-annual exception available to use on Trier. That projects his 2019-20 team option’s worth at $3.62 million, pending the Knicks used all of it.
Signing Trier ends speculation around this scenario, whether it was New York’s willingness to provide this, how long the contract would be and the player that receives his release.
So, this keeps Trier in the organization’s plans through the 2019-20 season, barring the front office does not pick up the team option. He will stick around with Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and other pieces of the future, along with whoever signs in the star-studded free agency of 2019.
Now, the Knicks can move forward with this 15-man roster. However, they now have an open two-way slot, so it’s possible one of the franchise’s players in the Westchester, their G-League team, becomes a candidate.
As for Baker, who was cut ahead of Luke Kornet, he became the casualty after infrequent use under head coach David Fizdale, playing 11 games and averaging 9.7 minutes. His last appearance was in the Dec. 9 game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Wichita State product leaves the team on a $4.5 million salary. The Knicks re-signed him to a two-year, $8.9 million deal in 2017, and the majority of the first year was lost to a shoulder injury.
Whenever Trier returns from injury, he will play under this new contract and look to build on 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game on 47.0 percent shooting and 39.1 percent from behind the arc. These numbers sit near the top of NBA rookies from the 2018-19 class.