Report: New York Knicks, DeMar DeRozan agree to 4-year deal
MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2021: Unrestricted free-agent forward DeMar DeRozan has agreed to a 4-year, $102 million deal with the New York Knicks, according to his agent Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management. The fourth year of the deal contains a player option, Goodwin tells sources.
With this signing, the Knicks can no longer be considered the NBA’s doormat. After a respectable 40-42 season in which they just missed out on the Eastern Conference playoffs, New York has shown that it is once again a destination for a premier star, luring a former four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA forward to join its ranks.
DeRozan’s choice to join the Knicks, in conjunction with his earlier comment that at this point in his career, he prioritizes a championship over money, offers a full-throated endorsement of New York’s ascending status in the NBA -- with up to nine figures’ worth of money coming to DeRozan’s bank account, as well.
In three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, DeRozan averaged 21.6 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game, while also adding another facet to his impressive offensive arsenal with 6.2 assists per game, almost two more than his career average.
He also served as a locker room leader, mentoring the likes of Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker IV, and Olympian Keldon Johnson, and will likely serve in a similar role for the Knicks’ young core of Julius Randle, R.J. Barrett, and recent trio of first-round picks Jalen Suggs, James Bouknight, and Keon Johnson in the Mecca.