On Tuesday, it was announced that the New York Knicks came to an agreement to sign power forward Noah Vonleh. According to ESPN, terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed. Turning 23 on August 24, Vonleh was the ninth overall selection out of Indiana University by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2014 NBA Draft. He is listed at 6-10, 240 lbs. and will be entering his fifth season in the NBA.
(All stats listed below were found via Basketball-Reference).
How Vonleh has fared in his NBA career
Spending his rookie season with the Hornets in 2014-15, Vonleh did not receive much action.
He appeared in just 25 games as he dealt with a hernia injury and posted pedestrian averages of 3.3 points and 3.4 rebounds. Afterg his rookie year, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers along with Gerald Henderson in exchange for Nicolas Batum.
Over his next two seasons with Portland (2015-16 and 2016-17), Vonleh was in the starting lineup for 97 of his 152 appearances. In 16 minutes per game over that time, he averaged 4.0 points and 4.6 rebounds.
He was traded to the Chicago Bulls on February 8 of last season. In 54 games with the two teams, he finished with averages of 4.9 points and 5.8 rebounds.
In 231 career NBA games (113 starts), Vonleh has averaged 4.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks.
He has shot 381-858 (44.4 percent) from the field, 43-145 (29.7 percent) on threes, and 152-229 (66.4 percent) from the free throw line.
Knicks now have 16 guaranteed contracts
With Vonleh joining the team, New York now has 16 players with NBA contracts, according to SB Nation (not including their two players on two-way deals).
That means the Knicks will have to waive or trade a player by the opening of the regular season as the maximum allowed is 15.
If they do not find a trade to drop a player, one option could be buying out Joakim Noah with the stretch provision. The 33-year-old Noah has been a massive disappointment since being signed by the Knicks in 2016.
He only played in seven games last season and was sent away from the team after an altercation with then-head coach Jeff Hornacek.
While Trey Burke is on a partially guaranteed contract, it seems extremely unlikely that the Knicks would part ways with him. New head coach David Fizdale has already said Burke, Frank Ntilikina, and Emmanuel Mudiay will battle it out for the starting point guard role. The 25-year-old Burke averaged 12.8 points and 4.7 assists in 30 games with New York last season.
The Knicks previously released Troy Williams after the signing of Mario Hezonja gave them 16 NBA contracts.