Dennis Smith Jr. is working out for the New York Knicks this week, nearly five years after his previous tenure with the team concluded, as he seeks a return to the NBA.
Smith, 27, spent last season with Real Madrid in Spain, but his time was cut short by an injury, effectively sidelining him from competitive play for the year.
His workout is part of a broader effort by the Knicks to fill out their training camp roster. The team is also evaluating free-agent frontcourt players, including Alex Len and Trey Jemison III. While NBA teams can invite up to 21 players to training camp, the Knicks currently have only 12 players on guaranteed contracts.
The team’s current salary cap situation allows for only one more veteran player on the regular-season roster. However, the Knicks are already bringing three players with significant NBA experience—Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet, and Garrison Mathews—into camp on non-guaranteed deals. This roster crunch has led to league-wide speculation that New York may orchestrate a trade to create additional space.
A 2017 lottery pick, Smith was once a promising talent with the Dallas Mavericks and became the centerpiece of the 2019 trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas. His career in New York, however, failed to gain traction, hampered by injuries and a difficult relationship with the fanbase, which memorably included being booed at Madison Square Garden.
After his time with the Knicks, which included a request to play in the G-League and an eventual trade to the Detroit Pistons for Derrick Rose, Smith adapted his game. He reinvented himself as a defensive specialist, a role he successfully played for both the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets before his move to Europe.
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