The New York Knicks have decided to move on from backup point guard Brandon Jennings, waiving him in favor of signing point guard Chasson Randle.
After only 58 games with the team, the New York Knicks have decided to punt their season and waive veteran point guard Brandon Jennings. New York is in 12th place in the Eastern Conference at 24-35, clearly wanting to go younger the rest of the way.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical of Yahoo! Sports, “The New York Knicks are waiving guard Brandon Jennings” to sign free agent point guard Chasson Randle. The Nerlens Noel trade with the Dallas Mavericks previously forced the 76ers to waive Randle earlier in the week.
The New York Knicks are waiving guard Brandon Jennings, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 27, 2017
The Knicks are planning to use Jennings roster spot to sign free agent guard Chasson Randle, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 27, 2017
76ers needed Randle's roster spot in Noel trade w/ Dallas, waived him Thursday. He'll sign partial guarantee through 2017-'18, sources say.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 27, 2017
Jennings averaged 8.6 points and 4.9 assists per game in 24.6 minutes per contest with the 2016-17 Knicks. He only made 11 starts for New York this season. Jennings signed a one-year contract to play for the Knicks at $5,000,000.
Teams in need of a backup point guard/sixth man off the bench could look to sign Jennings in free agency the rest of the way. A few teams that could consider him are the Atlanta Hawks, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Utah Jazz.
Randle has only appeared in eight career NBA games with the 2016-17 76ers. He averaged 5.3 points and 0.8 assists in only 9.3 minutes per contest this season with Philadelphia. If New York knew that it wasn’t going to re-sign Jennings, then seeing what Randle is all about could make some sense.
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Perhaps Jennings was frustrated about not being on a playoff-contending team in New York? Now he is free to sign with any team the rest of the season for roughly $1.2 million. Jennings is not the dynamic, isolation player he once was as a kid for the Bucks, but he could help a playoff team’s bench in March, April, and May.