Soon after the Utah Jazz traded him, John Konchar is headed to the New York Knicks. Best of luck to him in that regard, as it gives him the chance to raise his value high enough for a new contract, but for the second straight year, a Jazz alum has joined the Knicks directly after their time in Utah was up.
Jordan Clarkson did the same thing last year. For the record, the circumstances were different. The Jazz waived Clarkson because they couldn't find a suitor for him - his player archetype is also a relic of the past - but Konchar was traded along with Cody Williams for Josh Green before Minnesota decided to waive and stretch Konchar.
It makes sense for Konchar to do this because of Clarkson. Not only did he gets paid over $10 million in dead money from Utah, but he basically got a free shot at a ring and pulled it off. He basically got to live the best life possible as an NBA player.
Konchar kind of, sort of gets to do the same thing. He'll get paid in dead money as well (though not as much and spread over a few years) and now gets a shot at a ring with a defending champs.
In fact, it's better for Konchar than for Clarkson
Konchar and Clarkson may have followed similar paths going from Utah to New York, but their situations are actually quite different. Clarkson's days of being paid eight figures a year are deifnitely behind him. At this stage of his career, he'll be collecting veteran's minimum contracts until he's out of the league.
That's nothing malicious against Clarkson. He was an awesome Jazzman who stuck around even when their outlook got pretty bleak. But that is where his career is at. Konchar is younger, offers more to teams than Clarkson does. In fact, the Timberwolves only waived him to make room for Jonathan Kuminga. Otherwise, he would have likely been on the team.
Konchar simply provides more, as he's a quality rebounder and defender for his size. His three-ball is meh, despite having the form to be better. Regardless, he is the perfect buy-low candidate for the Knicks for a reason. So much so that if this works, he'll likely get a multi-year deal from this union if everything works out.
Jazz fans of course had more attachment to Clarkson than they did to Konchar, which is why it was awesome to see him win it all with them. It's not like anyone will be mad if Konchar's fate is the same in the Big Apple, but it will be amusing to see history repeat itself.
Add us as a preferred source on Google