The New York Knicks are signing veteran forward TJ Warren to an Exhibit 10 deal, per SNY’s Ian Begley.
The 31-year-old Warren has played for the Phoenix Suns (two different stints), Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves over a 10-year career. He last played for Minnesota, averaging 3.7 points on 43.9 percent shooting and 2.0 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game (11 contests).
Warren’s best season was 2019-20, when he averaged 19.8 points on 53.6 percent shooting for a Pacers team that finished fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. He also scored a career-high 53 points that season against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Unfortunately, Warren only played four games the following season and none in 2021-22 due to a foot injury. He underwent surgery in Dec. 2020 to repair a small left navicular stress fracture.
Warren returned in 2022 and played 42 games for the Nets and Suns, averaging 7.5 points in 16.4 minutes per game.
As for the specifics of Warren’s deal, Justin Martinez of the Oklahoman explained what an Exhibit 10 contract is in detail last July: “An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year, minimum salary agreement that isn’t guaranteed. It can also include an optional bonus of up to $75,000 that will be rewarded if a player, after he’s waived, spends at least 60 days with a team’s G League affiliate.”
Martinez added that Exhibit 10 deals can be converted into two-way contracts, guaranteeing the bonus money. However, that conversion must occur before the regular season begins.
In addition, players on Exhibit 10 deals who make the 15-man roster past the regular season’s beginning (in the Knicks’ case, Oct. 22) then see their contracts converted to standard minimum deals. A minimum deal for a 10-year veteran like Warren would be $3,303,771, per Spotrac.
Neither Exhibit 10 nor two-way contracts count toward the team’s salary cap, per Martinez.
The Knicks, who have already opened training camp, begin their preseason on Sunday at the Charlotte Hornets. Conceivably, that day could mark Warren’s debut in a Knick uniform as he hopes to land on a roster for the regular season.
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