At the beginning of free agency, Austin Rivers took control of his destiny by opting out of the volatile situation in Houston and forgoing the second year of a minimum contract. New York has been linked to Houston in light of the tumult between Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Both stars have expressed their interest in moving on from the current situation. The Knicks, by all accounts, have appeared lukewarm on Westbrook because of his gargantuan contract, and are not in the running for Harden.
No matter! After the Knicks waived Kenny Wooten’s two-way contract and the Rockets subsequently claimed him off waivers, New York acquired Rivers on a three year deal for practically minimum dollars.