Knicks to fully guarantee Jericho Sims for the upcoming season

Entering this summer, Jericho Sims’ contract was only partially guaranteed for $600,000. That figure then turned into $1.2 million when the Knicks kept him on the team last month. Well, it looks like that guarantee is going to increase yet again as it was reported on Wednesday that New York intends to fully guarantee Jericho Sims’ $1.93 million contract for the upcoming 23-24 season, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

During his two year career in the league, the 58th pick of the 2021 draft has had only limited opportunities while playing behind starting center Mitchell Robinson and the two backup centers of the last two years, Taj Gibson and Isaiah Hartenstein. That has led to just 93 appearances in his first two seasons. But when his number has been called, Sims has performed admirably. His stats (3.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG last season) don’t pop out, and he has clear weaknesses (mainly fouling, and a lack of an offensive game) in his game. But Sims just seems to get the job done. He’s a solid rebounder, who averaged 11 rebounds per 36 minutes last season, and is a capable rim protector given his incredible athleticism. That athleticism also helps him be an incredibly explosive and efficient finisher around the rim when given the chance. He may not always exceed expectations, and but he rarely fails to meet his expectations and has a pretty high floor for someone in his role. In Sims, the Knicks have a good third-string center, who has shown the ability to step in as a potential backup and even start when the team really needs him to.

And the proof of the Knicks’ belief in Sims goes beyond just the contract. Earlier this week, there were reports that teams were asking for Sims and Deuce McBride as a throw in during trade talks, but the Knicks were very much against that, with Fred Katz of The Athletic stating that the Knicks “like them too much just to give them away”.

We’re all still waiting patiently for the big news that we’ve been expecting, one that includes either trading away Evan Fournier, or one that includes finally getting the star that this front office has been so focused on attaining. This is neither of those things but is still a smart move capping off what has thus far been a very quiet, but very solid, offseason.