The Washington Wizards declined Landry Shamet's $11 million team option for the 2024-25 season, making him a free agent. A couple of months later, the Knicks signed him to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, and he was on his way to earning a roster spot before he dislocated his shoulder in the preseason. New York waived the guard and re-signed him in December, and he's been with the team since.
You can say things have gone a little differently for Shamet this season, specifically in the playoffs. He went from fighting for a roster spot to a postseason hero.
Shamet averaged just 9.0 minutes per game in the Knicks' first-round series win over the Hawks, but his minutes have steadily increased since then. He helped play hero for New York in its Game 1 win over Cleveland, shooting 3-of-3 from deep for nine points as the team clawed back from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
He missed only one three-point attempt in the conference finals, shooting 11-of-12. Shamet finished the series averaging 9.8 points in 19.8 minutes off the bench.
Landry Shamet has been shooting lights out for the Knicks
In less than a week, the 29-year-old will suit up in his first NBA Finals. He arrived in Phoenix in 2021-22, right after the Suns made their run to the finals, and was there for two seasons before the Wizards acquired him in the Bradley Beal-Chris Paul trade.
Shamet went from being on a bottom-dweller in the East to being part of a Knicks team that made it to the conference finals for the first time in 25 years. During that run, though, he averaged only 2.4 points in 7.5 minutes across 11 games, so he was an afterthought in Tom Thibodeau's rotation.
The Mike Brown hire significantly helped Shamet, as he's coming off his best regular season since 2020-21 when he was in Brooklyn. He averaged 9.3 points in 23 minutes per game across 51 contests (12 starts), compared to when he averaged 15.2 minutes in 50 games (no starts) last season. He dealt with shoulder injuries in both years.
Brown isn't afraid to turn to his bench in the playoffs, specifically Shamet, someone he has believed in from the start. And that belief has paid off. He was a player who could fly under the radar, but that's not the case anymore. He's on billboards in Times Square. ESPN insiders reported on Thursday morning that the belief is the Knicks will bring him back next season.
The Wizards didn't need to keep Shamet's $11 million on the books, and it's not like they needed his shooting to make a playoff push. They say when one door shuts, another opens. That couldn't have been truer for the guard after his time in Washington ended.
Shamet and the Knicks are four wins away from doing what the team hasn't done since 1973. If he helps them reach the mountaintop, he'll instantly become a legend in the city, even more than he already is for playing a key role in New York's first finals appearance since 1999.
You're welcome, Knicks.
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