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The New York Knicks didn’t waste any time following their preseason opener, cutting undrafted rookie forward Jamel Artis less than a day after losing to the Nets.
The Knicks announce that they have waived forward Jamel Artis. Strange timing. He was productive in limited minutes last night.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 4, 2017
The University of Pittsburgh standout acquitted himself fairly well in his first (and only) taste of preseason action, scoring 5 points in 7 minutes. Artis was also a member of the Knicks’ 2017 Summer League squad.
However, this does not necessarily mean that Artis is headed out of New York state. He may very well end up with the Knicks’ G-League affiliate in Westchester thanks to a clause in his contract.
FWIW: Jamel Artis has an Exhibit 10 in his contract which would give him a 50K bonus if he now spends 60 days with the Knicks' G League team
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 4, 2017
The Knicks have one remaining two-way contract—center Luke Kornet signed the other one in the summer—and it would appear that fellow undrafted rookies Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Nigel Hayes will be duking it out for that honor. Personally, I thought Artis was the best player of the three—he can pass a bit, shoot a bit, and has at least a whiff of defensive versatility. Might the front office look outside of the organization to award that final two-way deal? Either way, I wouldn’t mind seeing Jamel Artis get a chance to kick it in Westchester this season.