Former New Orleans Pelicans Sharpshooter Interested in Joining East Contender

A former New Orleans Pelicans sharpshooter could be moving on for good this time.

Sep 30, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Matt Ryan (37) takes part in Pelicans Media Day. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans have been yo-yo-ing with the roster status of sharpshooter Matt Ryan for a few months.

He has been signed and released on multiple occasions as they continued to tweak their roster heading into the season. Currently a free agent, he is someone that could be on their radar again given all of the injuries they are dealing with.

Point guard Dejounte Murray fractured his left hand in the season-opening win over the Chicago Bulls. Herbert Jones suffered a hip contusion on a hard fall early in the second half but was able to return to the game.

Trey Murphy is dealing with a hamstring issue. Zion Williamson missed the opener as well because of an illness.

If the Pelicans are going to bring in some healthy bodies, having a player with experience on the roster would make sense. Ryan would fit that bill, but he may have opportunities elsewhere around the league.

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, there is mutual interest between the New York Knicks and the former New Orleans long-range specialist.

A native of White Plains, New York, Ryan attended high school in New Rochelle, which isn’t far from where the Knicks facility is. They are having some depth issues of their own in the early going and would love to add a 3-point shooter to the mix.

However, things are complicated for them because of the hard cap they are operating with.

After acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets this summer, the Knicks cannot go above the second apron. That leaves them in a tough spot to sign someone such as Ryan at this moment.

There are ways for New York to get around that, as they could bring him in on a two-way deal. Converting someone such as Ariel Hukporti’s two-way deal to a rookie minimum contract would work under the CBA.

But, that isn’t a move the team will likely make until November 5th, which is when they have to. Every penny counts in the modern NBA and they will save about $250,000 by waiting the maximum two weeks.

That would give a team such as the Pelicans, who have more wiggle room under the aprons and tax lines, to sign Ryan for more than the Knicks can offer.

Last season, he knocked down 45.1 percent of his 3-point attempts, making 1.5 out of 3.3 per game despite averaging only 13.9 minutes.