Getty Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans handles the ball during a 2009 game against the New York Knicks.
While the New York Knicks did well not to make a panic move at the trade deadline, their inability to complete a deal of any kind has left them with a gaping hole at the point guard position. However, the team still has options for shoring up its backcourt.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau could continue to roll with Kemba Walker, who dropped 23 points on the Blazers over the weekend. Or, maybe a returning Derrick Rose will stabilize the position and, in turn, the team’s offense as a whole. There’s also the buyout market, which has the potential to yield a real prize.
How does Goran Dragic sound, Knicks fans? Dennis Schroeder, perhaps? John Wall even?
Leon Rose and his brain trust could also address the situation by just going completely outside the box. To that end, a former NBA Rookie of the Year with strong ties to the Knicks organization technically just became available.
Tyreke Evans Reinstated by the League
Per a joint announcement from the NBA and the Players Association on Monday, veteran guard-forward Tyreke Evans has been reinstated as a player. The 32-year-old was disqualified from the league in May of 2019 due to a violation of its anti-drug program.
As of now, though, he’s officially back on the market as a free agent, eligible to sign with any team that will take him.
Evans last played for the Indiana Pacers during the 2018-19 campaign, averaging 10.2 points per contest and hitting 35.6% of his triples. However, over 10 seasons and nearly 600 games as a pro baller, he has averaged an impressive 16-5-5 line.
He was a 20-point scorer right out of the gate for the Kings in 2009-10, running away with Rookie of the Year honors as a result.
While Evans to the Knicks would definitely be an out-of-left-field signing, he has big-time ties to a key figure within the organization. As team insider Stefan Bondy tweeted following the announcement, “Knicks executive William Wesley was close with Evans’ family and steered him to Memphis to play under John Calipari.”
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Is Evans Even a Realistic Possibility?
Per a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Evans “is considered to be in good physical condition and is expected to start making himself available to work out for teams.” And given his track record as a player, there will undoubtedly be some interested parties.
However, it’s difficult to say whether he’s actually in a place where he can meaningfully contribute at the NBA level.
Chris “Birdman” Andersen was similarly suspended for a substance abuse issue in 2006. He returned two years later and went on to play for another decade. However, he was more than two years younger than Evans is now when he was reinstated and was also a rebounder, defender and rim-roller.
Evans, meanwhile, is a backcourt/wing playmaker and a scorer.
Although it only takes one team to bring a player back from the scrap heap, Evans may just have to prove himself again in the G League before he gets another opportunity. It worked for Lance Stephenson, right? Time will tell, though, and there’s clearly a need in New York.
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