Getty Big man Luka Samanic reacts after being drafted with the 19th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs during the 2019 NBA Draft.
When the New York Knicks made the move to sign big man Luka Samanic ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, hopes were high that he could be developed into a nice inside-outside piece for the club. In the end, though, factors beyond his control kept it from happening.
Flash forward to now and the former first-round pick will likely have to show out in the G League to earn another NBA spot.
As reported by The Athletic’s Jared Weiss, the Boston Celtics are waiving Samanic, a move that will free up a spot for them to sign rookie guard AJ Reeves to an Exhibit 10 deal. The 22-year-old Samanic had put pen to paper on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Beantowners on September 22.
The expectation is that Samanic will make his way to Boston’s Portland, Maine-based G League affiliate. And as Knicks fans in the greater Westchester area know, the 6-foot-10 Croatian has been a certified beast in the developmental ranks.
Samanic Was Rocking & Rolling With the G League Knicks, Until…
After signing a two-way deal with the Knicks — almost a full calendar year ago this week — Samanic was quickly shuffled over to Westchester where he looked like a man amongst boys.
The big man captured G League Player of the Week honors after averaging 30.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists over a three-game stretch in early December. Meanwhile, he posted an impressive 28-10-3 line while appearing in seven total Showcase Cup games for the club.
Unfortunately, that stretch came to represent the high-water mark for his tenure in New York. Thanks to a brutal case of plantar fasciitis, Samanic didn’t suit up for Westchester again after January 5. And by the time March rolled around, Knicks president Leon Rose and his brain trust had made the decision to part ways with him.
As a result, he never saw the court at MSG — or anywhere for that matter — as a part of the Knicks’ main roster. To date, the 37 games he played with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2019-20 and ’20-21 campaigns represent the totality of his NBA experience.
Knicks Overtake Lakers in Key Area
The Knicks may have missed out on Donovan Mitchell on the trade market, but fans are clearly still feeling the hype with Jalen Brunson joining the fold, RJ Barrett signing a long-term contract extension with the club and a stable of talented youngsters working hard to take the next step on the bench.
According to StubHub — as relayed by BasketballNews.com — the Knicks have overtaken the Lakers by selling the most tickets of any NBA team on the platform. Not only that, New York has almost tripled its StubHub ticket sales from last October to now. Meanwhile, business is up around the Association.
“The new NBA season is seeing a massive 65% jump in ticket sales on StubHub compared to last year, anchored by New York and Los Angeles teams,” said spokesperson Adam Budelli.
Speaking of Mitchell, the Cleveland Cavaliers saw a whopping 653% increase in ticket sales after acquiring the three-time All-Star via trade from the Utah Jazz.