Insider: Knicks Could Target Former Lakers G

Matt Ryan may be coming to New York … to help the New York Knicks rather than the Giants or Jets.

ESPN’s Shams Charania linked basketball’s Ryan to the Knicks during a segment on “NBA Today.” Currently a free agent, Ryan could help the Knicks solve a late roster conundrum, as they’ll be required to sign two additional standard contracts over the next two weeks.

“I’m told that one player that they have serious interest in signing (is) Matt Ryan,” Charania said. “You think about Landry Shamet, they lost him for an extended period of time, just a brutal dislocated shoulder for him in the preseason. He’s out, they waived him, obviously. So they need that position. That shooter position is something they badly need.”

Charania previously floated that Lonnie Walker IV and former Knick Justin Holiday could also draw interest during a Tuesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

If Ryan was to sign with the Knicks, it would not be his first metropolitan rodeo: the 27-year old was born in White Plains (home of the Knicks’ G League affiliate in Westchester County) and starred for Iona Prep in New Rochelle, where he won the title of “Mr. New York Basketball,” an honor previously attained by renowned names such as Kenny Anderson, Jamal Mashburn, Stephon Marbury, Elton Brand, Lance Stephenson and Kevin Huerter.

At the NBA level, Ryan is perhaps best-known for his dozen-game stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he surfaced as an unexpected hero with a buzzer-beating three-pointer during a November 2022 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He ironically spent last season with the Pelicans, averaging a career-best 5.4 points and shooting over 45 percent from triple range. In addition to Los Angeles and New Orleans, Ryan has also put up NBA minutes with Boston and Minnesota.

Armed with 12 standard contracts, the Knicks tip off their 2024-25 season on Tuesday night in Boston (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

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