The New York Knicks are taking a flyer on a 30-year-old, once-productive forward to see if he can reclaim his NBA career.
As officially announced by the Knicks’ G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, the club has acquired veteran T.J. Warren “via returning rights.” Returning rights are a two-year period that a club has the right of first refusal to bring back a player after he had most recently played for them, often after they’d left for another league. Warren last spent time with the Knicks in the fall of 2024 before being waived and playing for Westchester during the 2024-25 campaign.
Warren last played in an NBA game for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2023-24 season, totaling just 11 games while averaging 11.4 minutes on the floor. His recent production has been a far cry from his time with the Suns and Pacers from 2015-21, during which he averaged 16.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 50.6% from the field.
Even in Minnesota, Warren shot 43.9%, but his lack of 3-point shooting over his career ostensibly hurt his value as the NBA evolved more and more into a league driven by triples. If and when he gets on the court for Westchester, it’ll be interesting to see if his play style has evolved at all.
Warren is still a long shot to actually suit up for New York, but a return to the NBA would be a nice story for the veteran. The Knicks have a top-heavy roster and have been working toward adding reliable depth pieces in hopes of another deep playoff run, so they’re at least somewhat willing to give Warren a shot at contributing down the road.