The New York Knicks made changes to two of their contracted players on Sunday. SNY’s Ian Begley reported that the team is exercising center Ariel Hukporti’s $1.9 million team option, and planning to decline P.J. Tucker’s $3.4 million team option.
Knicks picking up Ariel Hukporti’s team option, declining P.J. Tucker’s option
Effectively, Hukporti will now return to the team while Tucker will become a free agent. Hukporti brought great energy to the Knicks as a rookie and flashed great long-term potential, while Tucker provided a strong locker room presence for a team that needed an enforcer.
Exercising his option was a no-brainer given his upside. He showed great defensive capability and the potential to provide size and rim protection for a team that needs more of that next season.
Hukporti could play a big role for the Knicks next season
Neither player was a part of the Knicks’ playoff rotation, but Hukporti is a candidate to get more playing time next season. This past season, he averaged 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 25 games.
Hukporti suffered a meniscus injury late in the regular season but returned for the postseason. With many questions arising about the team’s roster construction going forward, Hukporti could quickly become a regular part of the rotation, potentially as the backup center behind Karl-Anthony Towns.
Hukporti was drafted 58th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. He was a part of the same draft class that included fellow Knicks Tyler Kolek, Pacome Dadiet, and Kevin McCullar Jr.
!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“has-featured-video”,”true”)})}();