Knicks prospect James Nnaji parts ways with Barcelona

Barcelona and center James Nnaji have opted out of a contract that was scheduled to run through the 2026-27 season, according to an announcement from the Spanish club. The team put out a statement thanking Nnaji for his contributions over the past five seasons and wishing him luck in the future.

Nnaji, who will turn 21 later this month, was the 31st overall pick in the 2023 draft. His draft rights were traded multiple times after he was officially selected by Detroit and are now held by the Knicks, who acquired them from Charlotte in last October’s three-team Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster.

On loan from Barcelona to Spanish club Girona last season, Nnaji averaged 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game across 14 Liga ACB appearances, making 75.7% of his field goal attempts but just 48.6% of his free throws.

While Nnaji’s exit from Barcelona doesn’t necessarily mean his next stop is the NBA, he confirmed earlier this summer that he intended to explore his NBA options, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops, and he was a member of the Knicks’ Summer League roster last month in Las Vegas, averaging 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game across five outings.

The Knicks’ current roster situation makes Nnaji a viable option. New York has 12 players on standard contracts and doesn’t have enough room below a second-apron hard cap to fit two minimum-salary veteran free agent signings. That means one of the team’s last two roster additions will likely have to be a players whose draft rights the club holds, since that player could get a rookie minimum salary without being affected by the tax variance that would apply to a rookie free agent.

Nnaji and 2025 second-rounder Mohamed Diawara — who also recently parted ways with his team in Europe — are among the players who fit the criteria and who look like candidates for the Knicks’ 14th roster spot. 2024 second-rounder Kevin McCullar Jr. gained a year of NBA experience in 2024-25 and would therefore no longer be eligible for a rookie minimum deal, so he wouldn’t fit below the second-apron hard cap if New York adds a 13th man on a veteran minimum contract.

Nnaji, Diawara, and McCullar are each eligible for a two-way contract. The Knicks have yet to sign any players to a two-way deal, so they have three open slots.