Former Lakers Sharpshooter Signs With Championship Contender
By Cem Yolbulan
As we are two weeks into the NBA season, the last remaining free agents are finding their new homes. Teams are attempting to fill their roster spots with players still available on the market. Naturally, there are former Lakers players who are signing with their new teams.
The latest former Laker to sign a new NBA contract is sharpshooter Matt Ryan. Per NBA insider Shams Charania, the New York Knicks are signing the veteran small forward.
NBA News: Knicks Sign SF Matt Ryan
The New York Knicks are signing shooter Matt Ryan to a deal this week, sources tell ESPN. The 6-foot-7 wing shot 45.1% from three-point range last season for the Pelicans. https://t.co/SftRpsVMEW
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 4, 2024
Lakers fans will be familiar with Matt Ryan from the 2022-23 season. He had earned a spot on the 15-man roster to start the season and had a buzzer-beater against the Pelicans to take the game to overtime. After hitting 37% of his threes for the Lakers, he was waived mid-season. He then spent the rest of the season in Minnesota before signing with New Orleans before the 2023-24 season.
In New Orleans, Ryan had the best season of his career, hitting 1.5 threes per game on 45.1% shooting from downtown. In the 2024 offseason, he joined the Westchester Knicks as the first overall pick in the G League draft. Now, he is making the NBA for a team in desperate need of shooting.
Ryan doesn't do much else on the floor, but he is as good of a shooter as any. It is surprising that he didn't have more of a role in Los Angeles as the Lakers have struggled to find enough shooting to surround LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
As a deep bench option who can space the floor when needed and provide offensive juice, teams can do much worse than Ryan. Considering the lack of depth in the Knicks roster, the 27-year-old could carve himself a role in New York.
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