The Knicks have assigned and recalled guard/forward Dylan Windler to the Westchester Knicks of the G League, presumably to get in some extra practice time.
Windler, 27, is 6-foot-6 and in his first season with the Knicks after three seasons with the Cavaliers. He initially signed a two-way contract with New York in July, before having that contract converted to a standard deal on Oct. 21.
So far, he has appeared in just two games, making it seem as if he will indeed spend some time with Westchester. The G League tips off its season on Friday.
The Cavs selected Windler with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft but did not extend a qualifying offer at the end of last season. That sent Windler into free agency, where he signed with New York.
He normally wouldn’t have been eligible for a two-way deal, given that he’s been in the NBA for four years. But Windler missed his entire rookie year, so he’s actually only in Year No. 4 now.
Players are only eligible for two-way contracts if they’ve played in three seasons or less.
Either way, Windler has appeared in just 86 games over his first four seasons, with injuries being the name of the game for him with the Cavs. Interestingly, he was known as a bit of an ironman as an amateur, missing just one game between high school and four years of college at Belmont.
After missing all of his rookie year, Windler bounced back to average a career-high 5.2 points in his second season, showing flashes of promise. But given how little he’s been able to stay on the floor since, it wouldn’t have made sense for the Cavs to issue the $5 million qualifying offer this past summer.
The Knicks (3-4) are coming off a win over the Clippers and host rookie Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Wednesday.
More must-reads: