The Knicks did not extend a qualifying offer to Frank Ntilikina before Sunday’s deadline, SNY can confirm.
This means that Ntilikina will be an unrestricted free agent in the 2021 offseason.
If the Knicks had extended a qualifying offer to Ntilikina, it would have been for roughly $7 million. Since the Knicks declined to extend a qualifying offer to Ntilikina, he is free to sign with any team.
Per Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ, the Knicks can still execute a sign-and-trade that sends Ntilikina to another team and returns some compensation to New York.
The Knicks can also re-sign Ntilikina, using either cap space or the Bird Rights exception.
Ntilikina has an $18 million cap hold, which means he is taking up $18 million in potential cap space. The Knicks would need to renounce their rights to Ntilikina to open up that cap space.
If New York renounces its rights to Ntilikina, the club can no longer sign him via Bird Rights. The Knicks would have to re-sign him using cap space or another exception.
Marc Berman of the New York Post first reported the news.
Ntilikina was the Knicks’ No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Then-team president Phil Jackson made the pick but mutually agreed to leave his position a few days later.
That meant Ntilikina’s biggest backer was no longer running the show.
Ntilikina has shown promise as a shooter and passer at times during his Knicks tenure. But none of his coaches or lead executives saw enough of it to give Ntilikina extended minutes as a starter.
Ntilikina is seen as a strong perimeter defender and should have suitors on the open market.
The 23-year-old was mostly out of Tom Thibodeau’s rotation in 2020-21.
If Ntilikina signs with another team and isn’t signed-and-traded, the Knicks will not receive any assets in return. If that’s how things unfold in the coming weeks, it’s logical to wonder why New York didn’t trade Ntilikina during the season to gain assets.
Some in touch with the team at the time said there was support to keep Ntilikina because some decision makers believed that he could still develop into an impactful player. That’s part of the reason New York didn’t move Ntilikina prior to the 2021 NBA trade deadline.
