Knicks Sign 2 Forwards to Fill Open Roster Spots Amid Rash of Injuries

The New York Knicks signed forwards DaQuan Jeffries and Jacob Toppin to 10-day deals, the team announced on Thursday, February 22, to reach the league minimum of 14 players on standard NBA contracts.

Jeffries and Toppin will also provide the Knicks warm bodies as three of their key players — forwards Julius Randle (shoulder) and OG Anunoby (elbow) and center Mitchell Robinson (ankle) — are still recovering from their injuries.

Earlier this week, Taj Gibson’s second 10-day contract expired.

The Knicks have one roster open left and a two-way slot open after converting Toppin’s contract into a 10-day deal. Charlie Brown Jr. and Duane Washington Jr. are the other two players on a two-way contract. The last day to fill the open two-way spot is on March 4.

The 23-year-old Toppin has appeared in five games for the Knicks this season, averaging 2.6 points and 1.2 rebounds. He scored 11 points in 17 minutes, both career-highs, in the Knicks’ last game before the All-Star break — a 118-100 loss to the Orlando Magic on February 14 — with the team missing six of their rotation players.

Toppin also represented the Knicks in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest but fell short of making the finals in a controversial fashion.

Toppin also led Westchester to the 2023-24 G League Showcase Tournament Championship after logging a team-high 23 points, eight rebounds and four steals against the Indiana Mad Ants on December 22, 2023.

On the other hand, Jeffries returns to the Knicks after getting waived in December to create a roster spot following the trades for Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.

The 26-year-old Jeffries saw action in eight games for the Knicks this season, averaging 1.1 points.

Mac McClung Praises Jacob Toppin

Despite narrowly losing to Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown for the right to challenge eventual back-to-back champion Mac McClung, Toppin drew praise for his dunk repertoire.

“I think Jacob Toppin had some incredible dunks and already had a crazy dunk for the last dunk but it’s hard for me to make an opinion about someone else’s opinion,” McClung said on “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV when three-time NBA 6th Man of the Year winner Lou Williams asked him if Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown deserved to be in the finals.

The Knicks rookie’s second dunk — a 360-degree, between-the-legs dunk — which McClung was referring to as “a crazy dunk” only drew 47.2 from the five judges comprised of former NBA All-Stars Gary Payton, Mitch Richmond and ex-Slam Dunk champions Fred Jones, Darnell Hillman and Dominique Wilkins.

 

Julius Randle Not Ruling out Season-Ending Surgery

While Randle has not experienced any setback in his recovery, he has not ruled out a season-ending surgery yet.

“I’ve heard many different opinions. Both, so we’ll see,” Randle said via New York Post. “I like how I feel today as far as getting better, feeling stronger, progressing to where I need to be, as far as getting on the court.

“But I’m never somebody to say never, so ultimately I have to do what’s best for myself to have a long career, have longevity in this. The training staff has been great, getting me back healthy and feeling better, so it’s a process.”

The three-time NBA All-Star forward added that his main focus right now is trying to avoid the surgery in a season where the Eastern Conference is wide open.

“I mean, we’ll see. There are still necessary steps. It’s a process to everything. I have to weigh out everything ultimately and decide from there,” Randle said. “But right now I’m just focused on trying to avoid [surgery], obviously, and get back on the court as soon as I can.”