Knicks News: Taj Gibson Waived, Reportedly Plans to Sign Wizards Contract
July 8, 2022
As the New York Knicks continue to wait for Jalen Brunson to officially sign his contract, they cleared additional cap space Friday by announcing they have waived Taj Gibson.
Per SNY.tv's Ian Begley, Gibson had a $5 million cap hold with the Knicks for the 2022-23 season.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Gibson intends to sign with the Washington Wizards once he clears waivers Sunday.
Gibson's $5.155 million salary for next season was non-guaranteed. He signed a two-year, $10.1 million deal with the Knicks in January 2021, two months after being waived by the organization.
The Knicks have spent a lot of energy this offseason clearing cap space. Their strategy paid off, as they secured an agreement with Brunson on a four-year, $104 million deal at the start of free agency on June 30.
Players have been eligible to sign their free-agent contracts since 12:01 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
NBA reporter Marc Stein noted on Twitter that Brunson's deal with the Knicks is unlikely to be finalized "before this weekend at the soonest" because he has yet to take a physical with the club.
Per Spotrac, the Knicks project to have $12.8 million in practical cap space, factoring in agreements with Brunson, Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein.
New York president Leon Rose will likely look to fill out the rest of the roster with that money. The Knicks will only have 12 players under contract when the deals for Brunson, Robinson and Hartenstein get finalized.
In Washington, Kristaps Porzingis will be the starter as long as he can stay healthy. He averaged 22.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in 17 starts after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Dallas Mavericks.
Daniel Gafford, who had a solid 2021-22 campaign with 9.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 72 appearances, should remain the No. 2 center because of his age (23) and upside.
Gibson gives Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. another big man to use off the bench. The 37-year-old averaged 4.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 52 appearances with the Knicks last season.