Beno Udrih joins the Knicks as their third point guard.
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The Knicks found the reserve point guard they had been looking for much of the offseason.
Newsday’s Al Iannazzone reported Thursday morning the Knicks had agreed to a one-year deal with veteran Beno Udrih. He signed at the veteran’s minimum — the only offer available to the Knicks. The 2013-14 veteran’s minimum for Udrih, a nine-year veteran, is $1,272,279.
Udrih has played for four teams over his nine years in the league, most recently with the Magic. He was acquired by Orlando midseason in the Bucks’ trade for J.J. Redick.
He averaged 10.2 points and 6.1 assists per game in 27 games with the Magic.
The Knicks lost veteran point guard Jason Kidd this offseason when he retired and then took the head coaching job with crosstown rival Brooklyn. The team re-signed point guard Pablo Prigioni to a three-year, $5.016 million deal on July 10, but had still been in search of a second point guard to backup starter Raymond Felton. Prigioni was a 35-year-old rookie last season, having spent his career in Europe.
Udrih, 31, also began his career in Europe but spent his most successful NBA years in Sacramento. He was drafted in 2004 by the Spurs but joined the Kings in 2007-08. He started 228 games in four years in Sacramento and averaged 12.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. He averaged 32.2 minutes per game over the four seasons.
He’ll spend significantly less time on the court in New York.
The Knicks investigated signing many point guards over the past couple months, including Bobby Brown, Chris Duhon and Jannero Pargo.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.
