Could Knicks Keep Adding to Villanova Wildcat Litter?

The New York Knicks have made no secret about their preference for Villanova University homecomings and there might be some former Wildcats still available.

You won't find Madison Square Garden on the Main Line, but Villanova University has proved to be a pipeline to a job with the New York Knicks.

The modern Knicks are partly building their success on the backs of former Wildcats: Jalen Brunson lived up to every expectation placed upon him in the first year of a $104 million contract while the trade deadline arrival of Josh Hart no doubt thrust the Knicks forward and helped them secure the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and their first playoff series victory since 2013. The quest to build on that success will feature another former Pennsylvanian in the form of Donte DiVincenzo, whose four-year, $50 million contract with the team was made official over the weekend.

One would be hard-pressed to find New Yorkers rooting for Philadelphians, but it'll happen on at least 41 occasions next season at MSG. Villanova's recent success in Manhattan (winners of five of the last eight Big East Men's Basketball Tournaments) perhaps only strengthens the connection between the Northeastern basketball staples to the point where the Knicks would almost be silly not to brandish as many Wildcats claws as they can.

Members of the Knicks, in fact, are already doing their part: Hart took to Twitter to try and lure Mikal Bridges over, though the latter's financial responsibilities (guaranteed over $68 million over the next three years) and current Brooklyn loyalties render such a reunion highly unlikely.

Having said that, if the Knicks are on the prowl for more Wildcats, several linger on the NBA movement front ...

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Ryan Arcidiacono

The latest trend in New York City appears to be having an NCAA Tournament hero or heroine on a professional basketball team roster. Four-time victor Breanna Stewart is currently starring for the WNBA's New York Liberty, while the Knicks brought in 2018 title-holder DiVincenzo from Golden State.

The Knicks got the trend started when they brought in Kemba Walker for the 2021-22 season. Fellow Big East rep Arcidiacono arrived shortly after Walker went down with a knee issue that proved to be season-ending and impressed well enough to earn an invite back for Brunson's first tour of the city. 

Arcidiacono was, ironically enough, included in the Portland package that brought Hart over in February. He was waived by the Trail Blazers and remains a free agent. Though he was never a major player in the Knicks' rotation (averaging less than five minutes in 21 appearances), he left a lasting impact and could be a welcome practice prescience for his former teammates. Arcidiacono was one of Brunson's closest friends at Villanova, one that formed from his very first steps on campus (rooming with Arcidiacono during his recruitment visit). 

Perhaps most importantly, Arcidiacono left a lasting impression on head coach Tom Thibodeau.

"Whether it’s practice, when you throw him in a game, he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s competitive,” Thibodeau said in October. “He can think on his feet, he can play multiple positions. (He's) a career 38 percent three-point shooter, so he’s done a really good job. He’s stood out in practice. He’s played really well."

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Saddiq Bey

Even with a meager return, the Obi Toppin trade was ultimately necessary to ensure that a potentially fateful season on the New York timeline featured as little drama as possible. But the Knicks are already reeling from the aftermath. 

As it stands, the best depth option behind Julius Randle (a Wildcat himself by way of Kentucky) is current Vegas Summer League star Isaiah Roby. The Knicks might have plans for Roby (especially if the $400,000 guaranteed to him for one day on the roster at the end of the season is any indication) but he's clearly a work in progress, especially after dealing with an ankle injury last year. 

At 215 lbs., Bey may not have the frame to fully spell Randle. but the Knicks could certainly use some height (6-8) coming off the bench. 

Bey was not a teammate of any current Wildcat/Knick (arriving in Philadelphia after the last championship in 2018), but the Knicks have reportedly already done their due diligence when he was moved from Detroit to Atlanta near the trade deadline. The Hawks already exercised a $4.5 million club option on Bey and he could be poised for an uptick in minutes in the Peach State with John Collins bound for Salt Lake City. But if the Knicks break into their draft cabinet and perhaps offer Evan Fournier (Atlanta's rate of 10.8 triples a game was third-lowest in the Association last season), the Knicks could find an affordable piece to pick up where Toppin left off.

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Collin Gillespie

Like Arcidiacono, Gillespie probably wouldn't be able to compete for a rotational spot in the Knicks' crowded backcourt situation. But, in addition to being another practice body that would lift the spirits of Brunson, Gillespie could wind up being an intriguing project the Knicks could hone in the G League.

Gillespie got to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy as a two-way, undrafted rookie with the Denver Nuggets this year but he has yet to make his official NBA debut after missing all of his rookie campaign with a leg fracture. He's currently trying to impress with Denver's Summer League group, notably leaving an impression from deep (over 45 percent in three-point attempts). 

With Immanuel Quickley and Miles McBride set to hit free agency next year, the Knicks could perhaps use a project in Westchester to work on their backcourt depth, one that partly defined Villanova's long-standing love for the triple in the Jay Wright era. Gillespie would also be a sentimental pick-up, having taken home the Big East Tournament's MVP award in the Wildcats' most recent conference title. 

Brunson, who left the keys to the Villanova point guard kingdom to Gillespie, has also made it clear that he hasn't forgotten his impact, acknowledging both his collegiate and professional championships during a lively Q&A session on Twitter to open the week.

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Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

If the Knicks are looking for a former Oklahoman to rise up in Toppin's place, maybe the answer is in Robinson-Earl, another stud of the post-Brunson/DiVincenzo era.

Robinson-Earl is, technically speaking, a former Knick, as he was originally drafted by the team during draft night in 2021, shortly after he shared the Big East's Player of the Year with Gillespie and Seton Hall's Sandro Mamukelashvili. He switched caps fairly quickly on draft night, as he was almost immediately traded to Oklahoma City in a deal that received McBride. 

Last season thrust Robinson-Earl into the Thunder's starting five and his sophomore campaign got off to a strong start to the tune of 8.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, as well as a 48.5 success rate from the field. An ankle injury, however, stifled any broad progress and he failed to improve on his rookie averages.

Still working off the effects of the injury, Robinson-Earl has not been able to partake in assigned Summer League action this time around. Armed with slightly more upside than Roby as an intended starter and working through just his third season, perhaps the Knicks could look into a reunion as they seek to be a deeper team behind Randle.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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