Knicks Announce Signing Of TJ Warren To Camp Contract

The Knicks officially announced the signing of veteran guard/forward T.J. Warren, as relayed by NBA insider Tommy Beer of Substack.

This news, of course, comes on the heels of the team’s blockbuster trade for former Timberwolves star big man Karl-Anthony Towns. But unlike Towns, Warren is sort of entering the Last Chance Saloon portion of his NBA career.

Warren, 31, is 6-8 and finished last season with the Timberwolves, signing a 10-day deal in March. He eventually landed a standard deal and appeared in 11 games, averaging 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds. He split the 2022-23 season with the Nets and Suns, averaging 7.5 points.

Of course, while he spent last season with the Timberwolves, he was not part of the Towns trade.

Anyway, his two best seasons came with the Pacers in 2019 and 2020, though a serious foot injury sidelined him for all of 2021-22. He really hasn’t been the same since.

Along with all that, Warren was among a group of veterans to work out with the Kings last month.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal. It doesn’t count toward a team’s cap unless the player makes the final roster. It also can be converted to a two-way deal before the season begins or mean guaranteed money if a player is waived and then stays on the G League club for at least 60 days.

By shipping out several players to make the Towns trade work, the Knicks created three open spots on their projected regular-season lineup. But here’s the kicker — because of hard cap restrictions, they can’t just fill them all.

Right now, they’ve got 12 fully guaranteed contracts. That leaves a window, albeit a tight one, for someone like Warren. Warren, of course, is no stranger to proving himself. If he delivers a strong preseason performance, he could muscle his way onto this roster.

Given the Knicks’ need for depth and scoring, especially after all the pieces they’ve moved, Warren’s ability to provide instant offense makes him an intriguing option.