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The Knicks’ search for a point guard continues.
The post’s biggest offseason prize won’t come to New York, as Fred VanVleet agreed to sign a four-year, $ 85 million contract to stay with the Raptors on Saturday, according to The Athletic.
Another potential Knicks target, veteran point guard DJ Augustin, also walked out of the market on Saturday when he agreed to a three-year, $ 21 million contract with the Bucks, per Athletic.
VanVleet, the former undrafted guard from Wichita State, took a big paycheck to stay in Toronto, where he won an NBA championship in 2019. He had a career year last season, with a averaging 17.6 points, 6.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.
The Knicks barely chased VanVleet and didn’t meet him, according to a source. The Knicks knew he wanted to stay in Toronto, where he’s close to his backyard teammate Kyle Lowry. A source close to VanVleet said he was not very interested in becoming the savior of the Knicks and would rather stay put.
Augustin, who played for new Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau with the Bulls in 2013-14, moved to Milwaukee, as did former Knicks forward Bobby Portis. Augustin, 33, averaged 10.5 points and 4.6 assists last year for the Magic.
Point guard Jeff Teague, who also played for Thibodeau in Minnesota, remains another potential free agent target for the Knicks.
– Additional reporting by Marc Berman
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