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New York Knicks News: Derrick Williams Signs Contract With Knicks

By Kenneth Teape

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New York Knicks News: The Knicks began the process of filling out their bench, signing forward Derrick Williams, formally of the Sacramento Kings, to a two-year deal.

The New York Knicks were able to land their third player in free agency tonight, as they agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with forward Derrick Williams. The second year is a player option according to ESPN’S Chris Broussard, who broke the news on Twitter.

Williams spent last season with the Sacramento Kings, who acquired him from the Minnesota Timberwolves via trade during the 2013-14 season. The Timberwolves selected Williams second overall in the 2011 NBA Draft out of Arizona, but he has not exactly panned out as expected.

Part of that is because he doesn’t have a real position. Standing 6-feet-8 inches tall and weighing 240 pounds, Williams does not have the ideal size to play power forward full time, but lacks the defensive abilities or quickness to play small forward. That leaves him as a tweener, which makes it tough sometimes for him to find a consistent role. That is exactly what happened with the Timberwolves and Kings, as neither team really knew what to do with Williams on the court, leading to some underwhelming numbers for a former No.2 overall pick.

While the Knicks haven’t been a model franchise in growing young players, Williams will at least have a set role with the team. He will get consistent minutes, which most of which will probably be off the bench as a backup to Carmelo Anthony, but he will get minutes at least. He will also have a chip on his shoulder, as he wants to prove that he is not the bust that the people have considered him.

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At only 24-years old, Williams still has a ton of time to grow into the player he looked like he could be when he came out of Arizona. While he lacks range on his jump shot, as he has made only 31.4 percent last season, he is a talented finisher at the rim. He will give the Knicks some athleticism and the ability to finish in the open court, something they have lacked in recent seasons as they consistently ranked near the bottom in fast break points.

Where he will also help the Knicks out is in the rebounding department. While he averaged only 2.7 per game last year, some of that could be attributed to who he was playing with. DeMarcus Cousins was a rebounding machine, while that is all Reggie Evans is really capable of doing. Throw in Jason Thompson as well, and there really wasn’t many rebounds to be had for Williams.

With the Knicks, that will not be the case as they need all the help they can get in the rebounding department and was a big reason they went after Lopez. For his career, Williams is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game in only 22.4 minutes per game, with his per-36 minute rebounding number standing at 6.9 for his career.

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This is a solid gamble for the Knicks to take, and are the exact kind of players they should be targeting. Williams has a ton of upside being as young as he is, and the money the Knicks have dedicated to him is chump change compared to some of the deals other players have received so far. Also, the Knicks also retain flexibility in the future, as the pact with Williams is for only two years, the second of which is a player option.

It is a win-win for the Knicks, as they get a chance to see if they can reclamate a young player in a way, and if they do, it will be for outstanding value. He will be a solid player off the bench for the Knicks to deliver a little bit of scoring punch and some help on the glass.

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