With the departure of lead scorer Carmelo Anthony this offseason, there were expected to be some big changes for the New York Knicks this season. Those have happened, as we’ve seen Kristaps Porzingis blossom into a superstar right before our eyes. However, Porzingis wasn’t expected to be the only beneficiary of an expanded role when Anthony left town.
Coming into his second season with the Knicks, combo forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas was also expected to hold down more minutes but instead, the exact opposite has transpired. Kuzminskas has yet to tally a single minute of playing time this season and has been labeled inactive in every one of the Knicks first 10 games.
Whether that be because of the recent front office shift or the additions of players such as Tim Hardaway, Doug McDermott, and Michael Beasley is unknown. Kuzminskas voiced both his confusion and frustration with his nonexistent role this year in a recent interview with New York Post’s Marc Berman:
“It’s kind of disappointing, last season I had ups and downs but I thought I did pretty good job. And then to come here, you’re inactive. You’re nothing – not in the rotation, not even on the [active] roster.”
“It’s more a question for coach, he sees me or doesn’t see me on the team. I was at all the practices at camp before I got hurt. I did all the training camp. You’d have to ask the coach if the injury affected it. Coach wants to win and he’s using players he trusts more, he thinks has more benefits than I can.’’
“I had a good relationship with Phil [Jackson], he’d tell me when I’m playing worse, when I’m playing good. That was priceless. I’m sad he’s not on the team.’’
It’s clear Mindaugas Kuzminskas would benefit from a change of scenery and at 28 years old, his time to make a real NBA impact is winding down. The good news for Kuzminskas is that the Knicks need to open a roster spot with the looming return of center Joakim Noah, meaning they will have to trade or waive somebody.
According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, the Knicks are assuming Kuzminskas to be that somebody and will likely waive Ramon Sessions as a last resort if no deal is agreed upon:
To that end, the club has contacted teams recently to gauge interest in forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, opposing executives told ESPN. The interest level in Kuzminskas, who hasn’t been part of the Knicks’ rotation this season, is unclear.
If New York doesn’t find a deal it likes involving Kuzminskas, Ramon Sessions would seem to be a likely candidate to be waived.
With Kuzminskas unsurprisingly fed up with his standing on the Knicks and the team needing to free up a roster spot, dealing the forward for a draft pick seems like the most sensible route as opposed to waiving an asset and still owing them their salary.
