The New York Knicks have rounded out their roster with the signing of five-year NBA veteran, Elfrid Payton.
Dennis Smith Jr. Frank Ntilikina. And now, Elfrid Payton joins the point guard fold for the New York Knicks.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the two sides have come to terms on a two-year deal worth $16-million.
Free agent guard Elfrid Payton has agreed to a two-year, $16M deal with the New York Knicks, agents Ty Sullivan and Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2019
Payton, drafted by the Orlando Magic in 2014, has played for three teams in five NBA seasons.
He spent last season with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he averaged 10.6 points, 7.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Payton played just 42 games due to lingering injuries, but it was never anything serious. It’s another smart signing for New York.
Most notably, the fifth-year guard went on a five-game triple-double streak last season. He joins the likes of Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Russell Westbrook, and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to accomplish the feat.
WATCH Elfrid Payton's 5 straight triple-doubles! ? pic.twitter.com/p61H28yxdI
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 19, 2019
Offensively, there are concerns. But Payton has a great basketball IQ for his age, and has displayed tremendous passing ability; especially over the last year with New Orleans.
Ian Begley of SNY reports the Knicks had primary interest in George Hill, and then opted to sign Payton after Hill signed with Milwaukee.
Elfrid Payton has agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the Knicks, his agent, CAA's Ty Sullivan, confirms to SNY. Knicks also had significant interest in George Hill, who went to the Bucks. The Atheltic first reported Payton's agreement.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 1, 2019
The point guard position in New York has long been up for grabs, and the competition will continue. Payton, Smith Jr., and Ntilikina will likely all be given the opportunity to earn the starting nod.
New York is down to $3.5 million in cap space, or use of their $4.4 room exception for their final roster spot. With as quick as they’ve moved to start free agency, expect the Knicks to wait out the rest of the league and see where the best bargain lies.
