According to Ian Begley of SNY, Hasheem Thabeet will take part in workouts with the New York Knicks this week. This comes after Thabeet was involved in informal five-on-five scrimmages with the Knicks earlier this summer.
“Former No. 2 pick Hasheem Thabeet is scheduled to participate in workouts with the Knicks in Westchester again this week, agent Jerry Dianis told SNY,” wrote Begley.
Begley also notes that the 32-year-old has worked out for multiple teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks. The 7-foot-3 center is seeking a comeback after playing his last NBA game for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014.
It’s hard to envision the Knicks finding a place for Thabeet. The Knicks already have a crowded frontcourt with Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Bobby Portis, and Taj Gibson all expected to garner minutes at center. Not to mention, the Knicks have 15 players signed to NBA contracts at the moment.
Signing Thabeet would mean that the Knicks’ front office would have to clear a roster spot for the University of Connecticut product. However, it can’t hurt for the Knicks to do their due diligence on a player who once carried so much upside.
Thabeet was a standout with the UConn Huskies, winning the NABC Defensive Player of the year twice during his time in Storrs. In his junior season, Thabeet led the Huskies to a Final Four, took home Big East Defensive Player of the Year, and was co-Big East Player of the Year with DeJuan Blair of Pittsburgh.
Thabeet was most recently playing with the Yokohama B-Corsairs in Japan.
