Sunday, July 8, 2018

NSU's Kyle O’Quinn signs with Pacers as Knicks think young

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- The Kyle O’Quinn Era is over in New York.

The Queens product agreed to terms on a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Pacers, an NBA source confirmed. The Knicks’ burly backup center got a small raise after opting out of his Knicks contract that would have paid him $4.25 million next season.

According to a source, the Knicks stayed in close contact as they could have re-signed him and gone over the cap. They are set with their three centers — Enes Kanter, Luke Kornet and Mitchell Robinson. But Knicks brass liked O’Quinn’s outsized personality in keeping players loose during his three seasons.

O’Quinn expected a bigger package to leave his hometown team, but finally gets a real shot at advancing to the playoffs. In O’Quinn’s six seasons, he has never made the postseason — with Orlando or the Knicks. He is said to be close with Indiana’s Victor Oladipo from their Orlando days.

Kornet became the NBA’s second two-way G-League contract player to sign to a main roster, officially signing his one-year, $1.6 million pact.

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