New York Knicks: Why Lance Thomas Re-Signed

The New York Knicks were able to retain forward Lance Thomas in free agency and he is looking forward to the opportunity to continue playing for the organization.

The New York Knicks had a busy offseason, adding in a lot of new faces to the roster. One of the players that they did retain from last season’s team that was a free agent was Lance Thomas, and he couldn’t be happier to be back. Re-signing with the Knicks was Thomas’ No.1 priority, as he received interest from multiple teams, even turning down a contract from the Los Angeles Clippers.

Thomas worked his way into the Knicks rotation after being sent to New York from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-team deal during the 2014-15 season that also included the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thomas was a little known player at the time, as he was essentially a throw in just so the salaries could match.

But, the Knicks have gotten a player that worked hard at his craft and became a useful part of their rotation. Thomas was never much of a shooter, but worked at it last offseason and knocked down 40.4 percent of his shots from deep last season.

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With the three-point shooting now in his arsenal, Thomas found himself in the Knicks rotation. He was already a valuable piece defensively, but he was no longer a liability on the offensive end of the court.

He has quickly become one of the more popular Knicks, as his tireless work ethic is something that has drawn the attention of the fans, especially little kids. Thomas made an appearance at a basketball camp less than 24 hours after signing his new contract, taking picture and signing autographs for the campers.

“It’s an amazing thing to just see the excitement on their faces, to remember when I was that age, what it was like and what I would have felt like if the roles were reversed. It’s a blessing,” Thomas said. “I would have went nuts if Larry Johnson or another Knicks player walked in the gym when I was a kid. It would have been an out-of-body experience.”

The Brooklyn-born Thomas made it very clear that he wanted to return to the Knicks this offseason despite being able to land more lucrative offers with other teams. A reason for it? This is where he wanted to be.

When asked about his mindset coming into free agency in an interview with ESPN New York’s Ian Begley, Thomas let it be known his feelings about the organization.

"“I wanted to be a Knick. I grew up a Knicks fan; this is the team I grew up watching. Me being from the area and planning on being in the area for the majority of my life, I didn’t want my legacy as a Knick to be a loser. My first year, the team, we had not a good record. Last year was better, but as a competitor and a winner, I want more. The city wants more. And everybody that wants a Knicks jersey should want more. I don’t want to be a losing Knick. I want to win in New York. My decision to come back was pretty easy. The moves we made made it even easier.”"

That was one of a couple of different things that Thomas discussed with Begley after appearing at a basketball camp last week.

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Thomas, like many fans, are excited to get the season going as he liked the moves that the Knicks made and he is looking forward to changing his legacy on the Knicks from one with a lot of losing to hopefully one with more winning this season.

Check out the rest of the question and answer with Begley here, and Thomas’ piece that he penned for the Player’s Tribune prior to free agency.

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