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The New York Knicks are looking to continue to add former Kentucky Wildcats.
Kentucky already has several players on the Knicks roster, and Skal Labissiere and James Young may be the two newest addition.
The report was first brought to light by the New York Times’ Marc Stein. Stein does not that both deals are in the final stages of being finalized with the Knicks basically having a done deal with Labissiere while targeting Young.
The Knicks are targeting the late-in-training camp signings of the former Kings first-rounder Labissiere and the former Celtics first-round pick James Young, league sources say, with both players expected to land with Westchester in the @nbagleague
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 8, 2020
Labissiere heading to the G-League is a rather interesting development. He has several seasons at the sport’s highest level, so taking a contract not with a team’s 15-man roster means his market must have dried up in a hurry.
This past season, Labissiere, who played with Kentucky during the 2015-2016 season, most recently spent time with the Trail Blazers.
In Portland, he played in 33 games and started one, scoring 5.8 points per game. The 6-foot-10 24-year-old averaged over eight points per game in both of his first two seasons in the league. Labissiere was a first-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
As for Young, a first-round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, he has spent the bulk of his time in the league with the Celtics.
The 6-foot-6 Young has yet to average over four points per game. While he has averaged over a three per 36 minutes in each of his four seasons, Young just hasn’t been what many thought he could be.
That said, both Young and Labissiere will likely head to the Big Apple. Also, both these two young players show that being a one-and-done may not always be the best option for players that could still use development in their game.