The Knicks are kicking off their championship repeat campaign by re-signing guards Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet to team-friendly contracts. Alvarado declined his $4.5 million player option to ink a three-year, $14 million contract, while Shamet agreed on a four-year, $24 million contract.
Comparatively, these are excellent deals for New York.
Collin Gillespie is signing for $12 million a year and Marcus Smart is declining his $5.4 million option, while Alvarado was open to taking less than most exceptions offer. Shamet-esque shooters like Kevin Huerter and Julian Champagnie agreed to deals worth $9 million and $15 million a season this offseason, while he received a fraction of those amounts.
This was thanks to the goodwill the team earned on this magical championship run, the chemistry and loyalty that strengthened during it, and the endorsements and attraction New York offers like no other. This is no small feat for the Knicks, securing their backcourt depth as they grapple with staying below the second apron while trying to compete yet again.
And compete they do when these two are on the court. Both played major roles in the regular season and even bigger ones come playoff time.
Shamet returned on the veteran’s minimum after essentially spending a rehab year with the Knicks a season ago, nearly getting cut during training camp. But he was a feisty defender and knockdown shooter, close with Mikal Bridges, and wanted to prove he could earn a spot with a team for the long haul.
That he did, going off for 36 points in an NBA Cup game with Jalen Brunson on the mend, finishing the year with 9.3 points per game on 39.2 percent shooting from the field. He had another injury and was in and out of the rotation, even riding the pine as the postseason got into swing.
But that changed in the second and third rounds. He was a big boost off the bench vs. Philadelphia, then hit three of the most pivotal threes of his career in Game 1 against Cleveland, when New York came back from 22 down in the fourth quarter to win.
Shamet carried that over into a couple of double-digit performances to start the Finals up 2-0. Now he’ll be a mainstay for years to come.
The Knicks, desperately needing additional ball handling, traded a couple second round picks and salary filler for Alvarado at the midseason deadline. The diminutive but big-hearted point guard was renowned for his competitive fire on a flailing Pelicans team, but the Knicks gave him a chance to compete for something real on his home turf.
That lit a fire under him, as he scored 12 points and came away with two steals in his debut win against Boston. Two games later he had a 26-point outburst on eight threes.
Alvarado’s playing time also fluctuated though, but in a testament to his professionalism never wavered. His number got called down 2-1 to the Hawks to help alleviate Brunson’s burden and provide some electricity off the bench, and that he did, scoring 12 in Game 5.
His contributions didn’t jump out on the box score as the Knicks ran roughshod over the East. But then came the NBA Finals, where Alvarado was consistently undeterred by perhaps the league’s best defense led by its best defensive player.
The highlight was playing a major role in the Knicks’ 29-point comeback in Game 4, including scoring all eight of his points in the fourth quarter. His spinning layup and gutsy three in the final minutes blew the ceiling off Madison Square Garden in arguably the team’s biggest moment in recent franchise history.
Now, Brunson and the Knicks have their complementary guard rotation locked for the foreseeable future, and they couldn’t be better positioned. These guys fit, ball out in the biggest moments, and love playing in New York.
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