By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The New York Knicks have waived Luca Vildoza, the team announced Sunday.
Vildoza, 26, was unable to participate in the training camp due to an ankle injury and is expected to undergo surgery. He was released from his non-guaranteed contract but can potentially still be brought back on a two-way contract.
“That’s probably the biggest thing,” admitted head coach Tom Thibodeau on Vildoza’s injury, “You gotta make roster decisions this time of the year, and so availability is a big part of it. And we feel that the guys who are here, those are the guys that are fighting it out for that last spot. But he’s a good player and we wish him well.”
However, Vildoza is now a free agent, his foot surgery will be covered by the NBA insurance and he had been paid a total of $3,5M from the Knicks without playing not even one game for them.
Per the press release: “The New York Knicks announced today that the team has waived guard Luca Vildoza.
Vildoza, 6-3, 190-pounds, was originally signed on May 6, 2021, after spending four seasons in the EuroLeague, Liga ACB, and the FIBA World Cup. The Argentinian guard appeared in two Summer League games for New York in Las Vegas, NV.
The roster now stands at 19 players.”
The Argentinian point guard picked up the injury during his Summer League stint. He was recently reported to be competing for a roster spot with Kevin Knox.
He was coming off four Turkish Airlines EuroLeague seasons with Baskonia, before joining the Knicks in May. His 2020-21 campaign generated 10.3 points, 3.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per contest.
In 2016, he had inked a four-year contract with Baskonia but was loaned back to his first pro team, Quilmes, for the 2016-17 season. He finally joined the team based in Vitoria-Gasteiz ahead of the 2017-18 season. From there and steadily improving his game, secured the NBA opportunity.
At the international level, he has represented Argentina at the senior level in the 2019 FIBA World Cup and the 2020 Olympic Games. He had 7.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per appearance in Tokyo this summer with his side ranking seventh after being knocked out by Australia in the quarterfinals.