Knicks sign free agent guard Jalen Harris

One young player will be getting his shot at redemption in The Big Apple.

The New York Knicks announced Sunday that they have signed guard Jalen Harris to a free-agent contract. The team did not disclose the terms of the deal.

After spending his 2020-21 rookie year on the Toronto Raptors, Harris was dismissed and disqualified from the NBA in July 2021 due to an unspecified violation of the league’s anti-drug program. The Reno Gazette Journal’s Jim Krajewski noted at the time that the NBA’s drug policy bans players who test positive for “drugs of abuse” (though steroids and marijuana are notably not included on that list).

Harris, 22, averaged 7.3 points and 1.4 assists per game in his 13 games as a Raptor. During his ban from the NBA, Harris played professionally in Italy and Canada (the latter stint earning him a first-team all-league selection).

Players usually have to wait two years to apply for reinstatement to the NBA after a ban, but first-year players (like Harris was at the time) need only wait one year. As for the Knicks, the move to sign Harris comes just a few days after the team made another interesting addition to their backcourt.