The New York Knicks have waived guard Luca Vildoza, who signed a four-year deal with the team in May.
Vildoza, 25, signed a non-guaranteed four-year, $13.6 million deal earlier this year, but did not play down the stretch. He played for Argentina in the Olympics, helping them reach the quarterfinals, and appeared in two Summer League games for the Knicks, but sprained his right ankle during that second contest and, after developing fluid in his foot after the injury, reported to Knicks camp in a walking boot.
One week and zero practices later, Vildoza is gone.
“He’s a good player and we wish him well, but you gotta make roster decisions this time of the year, and so availability is a big part of it,’’ head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We feel that the guys who are here, those are the guys that are fighting it out for that last spot. We couldn’t wait, and we just felt like we’ve had guys here all summer doing a really good job, so we feel that’s the best decision for the team.”
Vildoza’s contract was set to become guaranteed on opening night (October 20), but with the team unsure if he would be able to take the court before them, they chose to waive the former EuroLeague star.
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However, Vildoza did make a nice chunk of change for his brief time with the Knicks: he earned $3.6 million from the team last year (minus the $2 million it cost for his buyout from his Spanish club, Saski Baskonia), and because he was injured during an NBA-sanctioned competition while under contract, the team will pay any and all medical expenses required for his foot injury.
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