Frank Ntilikina to be unrestricted free agent
Frank Ntilikina Rumors
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Frank Ntilikina
Position: -
Born: 07/28/98
Height: 6-4 / 1.93
Weight:190 lbs. / 86.2 kg.
Earnings: $18,689,218 ($18,999,905*)
Born: 07/28/98
Height: 6-4 / 1.93
Weight:190 lbs. / 86.2 kg.
Earnings: $18,689,218 ($18,999,905*)
Spurs an option for Frank Ntilikina?
The market for Ntilikina might be soft enough for the Knicks to match a modest offer. The Post reported Wednesday they haven’t ruled out bringing Ntilikina back if they lose Reggie Bullock. “New York is a special city for me,” Ntilikina told L’Equipe. But don’t be surprised if Popovich’s Spurs take a run at the Frenchman, especially if he stars for “Les Bleus” in Tokyo. The Spurs legend has always been complimentary of Ntilikina.
Earlier this week, Ntilikina, the longest-tenured Knick, talked about his 2020-21 season in an interview in French with France’s sports publication that was translated for The Post by @FrenchKnicksPod. “Not playing is not easy for a player,’’ Ntilikina said. “I would definitely like to play more. But I train all season long. And because I’m still a young player, I know I have a lot of things of my game that I can improve on in future seasons. This is what I did this season offensively in games with the Knicks as soon as I had playing time, being at my advantage over the opponent’s points guards.’’
Ntilikina was still satisfied with his Knicks’ contributions in the 33 games he played in the regular season. While he averaged just 2.7 points, he shot 47.9 percent form 3-point land in limited attempts (23 of 48). “I adapted well this season in games to make the right choice offensively at the right moment to either shoot or dribble or pass,’’ Ntilikina said. “ And this happened because in my opinion, all my individual work during the season made me a better player even with few minutes this season.”
If the Knicks lose Bullock, they’d be more likely to attempt to match a modest offer to guard Frank Ntilikina, a restricted free agent. According to a league source, the Knicks haven’t ruled out bringing back their 2017 lottery pick selected by Phil Jackson, even if Thibodeau barely played him last season.
Thibodeau wouldn’t say if that will change Wednesday when asked about Ntilikina, who has played just four minutes spanning two games in the series. “We count on everyone,’’ Thibodeau said when asked about mulling a point guard rotation change. “Just be ready to go. You look at everything. You look at in totality. You break it down quarter by quarter, the corrections that need to be made. You’re looking at all the information and you’ve got to move forward.’’
