The New York Knicks had their sights set on Donte DiVincenzo entering free agency, and their wishes of signing him came true. New York could look to the players who are still available on the free agent market to replace Obi Toppin or the team could roll with Isaiah Roby as Julius Randle’s primary backup, which is what HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported.
There are former Knicks players that have already signed new deals in free agency, and there are former players that are still available. More specifically, there are a few fan favorites that are still on the market. New York doesn’t need to sign one of these three players, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see one of the players back in the city one day on the sidelines.
3 former Knicks fan favorites that are still available on free agent market
3: Theo Pinson
After spending his first two seasons in the league in Brooklyn, Theo Pinson was lucky enough to cross the river to sign with the Knicks. He wasn’t an on-court factor for New York in the 17 games that he played in 2020-21, but he was a great guy to have on the bench and in the locker room.
Like many other former Knicks, Pinson went from New York to Dallas after he signed a 10-day hardship contract with the Mavericks. That 10-day contract turned into another before Dallas signed Pinson to a two-way to keep him around for the entirety of the 2021-22 season. Last offseason, the Mavericks gave Pinson a spot on the 15-man roster by signing him to a one-year deal.
Spencer Dinwiddie, who played with Pinson in Brooklyn and Dallas, has called Pinson the “best hype man” and “culture guy” in the league. The energy that he brings is invaluable, and it’s something that the Knicks were able to experience in their run to the playoffs in 2021. Pinson averaged only 2.0 minutes during his time in New York, but that didn’t matter. His impact off the court propelled him into a fan favorite role.
The 27-year-old is an unrestricted free agent and according to NBA insider Marc Stein (subscription required), the Mavericks aren’t expected to re-sign Pinson. Similar to his time in New York, Pinson wanted to return to Dallas. Although it doesn’t look like that’ll happen, expect another team to swoop in and sign the hype man before the start of the 2023-24 season.