NY Knicks claim two-way guard Jared Harper, waive Kadeem Allen
The Knicks are making roster moves.
The New York Knicks have claimed two-way guard Jared Harper on free agency waivers, and in turn, they have waived two-way guard Kadeem Allen, per The Athletic.
Harper was waived in March by the Phoenix Suns after playing in three NBA games on a two-way contract. He spent the majority of the past season in the G-League where he averaged 20.8 points per game on 41.2% shooting, including 35.9% from downtown on 7.4 attempts.
The 22-year-old point guard was a two-time second team All-SEC player for Auburn before going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft. He is known to be a quick and confident guard, who makes up for his lack of size (5’10”) with his strength.
NBA rules allow teams to carry up to two, two-way players at a time. With Kenny Wooten on a two-way contract, the Knicks needed to cut a player to make space for Harper, and thus, Kadeem Allen was waived.
Kadeem Allen played two seasons in the Knicks organization.
Kadeem Allen has been part of the Knicks organization since 2018. He played on their G-League affiliate in Westchester before signing a two-way contract in January of 2019.
A tenacious defender, Allen played 29 games for the Knicks over the past two seasons. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.3 assists in limited action. Before coming to New York, he was drafted by the Celtics in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft.
This move comes after new team president Leon Rose spoke publicly for the first on MSG Networks where he talked about using the draft, trades, and free agency to rebuild the Knicks into a perennial contender. This is his first official roster move as team president.
New York is currently in the process of interviewing at least eleven candidates for their head coaching position, with former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau the leading candidate. The team is expected to make a decision by the end of July.