By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The New York Knicks released Croatian power forward Luka Samanic and in a corresponding move inked Feron Hunt to a two-way contract, the team announced.
Samanic, 22, was dealing with plantar fasciitis since early January. He was picked up early in the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season after being placed on waivers by the San Antonio Spurs. Since being selected with the 19th overall pick of the 2019 draft, he made his way to 36 NBA games, all with the Spurs, and logged 47 appearances in the G League between the Westchester Knicks and Austin Spurs.
Before moving to the NBA, Samanic had played in 12 games of the Basketball Champions League as a member of Petrol Olimpija, since merged with Cedevita to create Cedevita Olimpija. He had joined the Slovenian team in 2018 as a youth product out of FC Barcelona.
Per the press release: “The New York Knicks announced today that the team has waived forward Luka Šamanić.
Šamanić, 6-11, 247-pounds, appeared in seven games for the Westchester Knicks in the NBA G League Showcase Cup averaging 28.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists over 31.9 minutes. The Zagreb, Croatia-native played in one regular season game recording 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists over 35 minutes on Jan. 5 at Grand Rapids. He was originally signed to a Two-Way Contract on Oct. 16, 2021.”
Hunt, 22, went undrafted in 2021. Despite signing a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans in December, the former SMU standout will be seeking his first NBA appearance after being held to G League action so far in his professional career.
Per the press release: “The New York Knicks announced today that the team has signed forward Feron Hunt to a two-way contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Hunt, 6-8, 195-pounds, appeared in four preseason games for the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 5.3 points and 1.8 rebounds over 10.8 minutes. He was waived on Oct. 15 and then signed by the Texas Legends, Dallas’ NBA G League affiliate. In 37 games (all starts) with the Legends, he averaged 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists over 35.2 minutes.
The DeSoto, TX-native spent three years at SMU, averaging 9.6 points and 6.8 rebounds over 26.3 minutes in 78 games (41 starts). In his final season, he earned 2020-21 All-AAC-Third Team honors, after recording career highs of 11.1 points and 7.9 rebounds over 16 games (all starts).”
Photo Credit: Getty Images