Knicks Rumors: Matt Ryan to Sign Contract Amid Landry Shamet Buzz

The New York Knicks reportedly will sign veteran wing Matt Ryan to a contract this week, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Ian Begley of SNY previously reported that there is “strong mutual interest” between the team and Ryan, and that the “plan [to sign him to a contract] had been discussed internally last month.”

Begley added Monday that Ryan has agreed to sign in New York:

The Knicks are required to get to 14 players on traditional contracts by Tuesday. New York opened the season with 12 players on such deals, though the reported signing of Ariel Hukporti and the pending Ryan deal would satisfy the league’s roster requirements.

Begley noted that the Knicks “also have interest” in signing sharpshooter Landry Shamet, though he’s still recovering from a dislocated shoulder and may not be ready to hit the court as of yet.

Teams can have up to 15 players on traditional contracts, though some prefer to keep the final spot open, allowing them some flexibility for trades or to be active in the buyout market when it heats up later in the season.

Both Hukporti and Ryan would address needs in New York, meanwhile.

With Mitchell Robinson still out of action with an ankle injury, the Knicks were thin at center behind Karl-Anthony Towns. Now, both Hukporti and Jericho Sims will give head coach Tom Thibodeau options at the position.

The Knicks are also severely thin on the wing behind starters Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. Ryan, 27, will offer some floor-spacing at the end of the rotation after shooting 45.1 percent from three last season (and 41.1 percent from beyond the arc for his career).

New York went all-in this offseason on the trades to land Bridges and Towns, giving them—on paper—one of the most talented starting units in the NBA. The downside has been that the team sacrificed the majority of its quality depth in those deals, giving up players like Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, among others.

Hukporti and Ryan aren’t going to make the Knicks the deepest team in the league. Both weren’t on traditional contracts to start the 2024-25 season for a reason. But they fill needs on the bench, and given New York’s lack of depth, both should play a role for the team this season.