Knicks Rumors: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Agrees to 1-Year Contract with NYK

The New York Knicks and veteran forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist reportedly agreed to a one-year contract Saturday, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

Kidd-Gilchrist, 27, is set to enter his ninth NBA season after spending parts of eight seasons with the Charlotte Hornets franchise and appearing in 13 games for the Dallas Mavericks last season.

MKG was the No. 2 pick in the 2012 NBA draft out of Kentucky by the then-Charlotte Bobcats.

After his eight-year stint in Charlotte, the Hornets parted ways with Kidd-Gilchrist last season when they waived him in February. He signed with the Mavs shortly after and had a limited role in their playoff run.

In his 13 games for the Mavericks, MKG played just 9.3 minutes per contest and averaged 0.9 points and 2.5 rebounds. That came on the heels of averaging 4.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12 games for the Hornets.

While Kidd-Gilchrist never developed as much offensively as Charlotte hoped when it took him second overall, he averaged at least 9.0 points per game in five of his first six seasons, but he has failed to reach that level in each of the past two campaigns.

Kidd-Gilchrist's best season came in 2014-15 when he averaged 10.9 points, a career-high 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest.

For his career, MKG has appeared in 446 regular-season games and made 356 starts, and he owns averages of 8.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per contest.

As Marks pointed out, Kidd-Gilchrist can be a defensive asset since the 6'6", 232-pound small forward can guard multiple positions.

The Knicks have been fairly busy this offseason in signing guards Austin Rivers and Alec Burks, as well as center Nerlens Noel, and selecting forward Obi Toppin with the No. 8 pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

Kidd-Gilchrist provides depth behind the likes of RJ Barrett and Kevin Knox, and he gives head coach Tom Thibodeau some defensive versatility that can work in his favor in big situations.

Signing Kidd-Gilchrist won't single-handedly end New York's seven-year playoff drought, but if the Knicks become playoff contenders again, he will be a useful player off the bench.