The New York Knicks announced on Monday that they have released 23-year-old forward Troy Williams. Originally signed by the Knicks in late February, New York eventually signed him for the rest of the season. He agreed to a deal for the rest of last season and a partially-guaranteed deal for the upcoming season.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, it was a numbers crunch game for the team as NBA squads are only allowed 15 players at the start of the season. His release gave the team 15 players under contract, according to the New York Post (players on two-way deals do not count).
He was the easiest one to release as his contract was non-guaranteed. According to SB Nation, $100,000 would have been guaranteed to him if Williams was still on the roster come August 1, and another $100,000 would have been guaranteed if he made the opening night roster.
While a lot of Knicks fans would have preferred that someone like Ron Baker be cut, he exercised his slightly over $4.5 million player option for the upcoming season which is all guaranteed.
Williams played three seasons collegiately for Indiana and went undrafted in 2016. Prior to joining the Knicks, he played in 24 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2016-17, six with the Houston Rockets in 2016-17, and another four in 2017-18 with Houston.
Williams' tenure with the Knicks
Williams appeared in 17 regular season games with the Knicks after he was signed by the team. His season ended prematurely in early April as a fractured jaw he sustained forced him to miss the rest of the year. In 17.1 minutes per game with New York, the small forward averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per outing.
Williams shot 49 percent from the field, 33 percent from deep, and 70 percent from the charity stripe. Williams’ season high of 18 points came in a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 9.
Troy Williams played fairly well for the Knicks during Summer League
Williams played in all five of the most recent New York Knicks Summer League games.
In 20.5 minutes per game, he posted averages of 11.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 steals.
What this means for Williams
Williams now becomes an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team. While it is not a sure thing that he will sign a guaranteed contract, it is likely that he will (at the very least) join a team for their training camp and preseason, giving him a chance to make the opening night roster.
