Knicks workout Dennis Smith Jr. as former guard eyes NBA comeback
Smith, 27, who last played for Real Madrid, is among several veteran prospects on New York’s training-camp radar as the team weighs roster decisions.
The New York Knicks brought in guard Dennis Smith Jr. for a workout this week as the 27-year-old pursues an NBA comeback, sources told The Post. Smith, a former Knicks guard, last played competitively for Real Madrid in Spain but left that team early after an injury and has not played a full season in nearly a year.
The Knicks are also auditioning frontcourt veterans, including Alex Len and Trey Jemison III, ahead of training camp. NBA teams can invite as many as 21 players to camp; the Knicks currently have 12 players on guaranteed contracts and limited cap space that would allow them to retain only one additional veteran for the regular season. New York is carrying at least three experienced players on nonguaranteed deals — Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet and Garrison Mathews — and league sources expect the team may pursue a trade to create room to keep two veterans.
Smith is a familiar face in Madison Square Garden circles, having spent three seasons with the Knicks earlier in his career after being a 2017 lottery pick. He has appeared in seven NBA seasons and was part of the trade package that reconfigured the 2019 Mavericks-Knicks deal involving Kristaps Porzingis.
Smith’s time in New York was hampered by a variety of setbacks, including a back injury and personal loss. The Garden crowd’s negative reaction to him at times coincided with the sudden death of his stepmother, a period Smith has said affected his confidence and shot. "A lot of that stuff beyond my control. Fans’ reaction. Stepmom passed. Slipped disc in my back. Just random s–t that I can’t control," Smith said after resurfacing with the Charlotte Hornets. "Only thing that matters to me is how I react to it. Bounce back, take the punches and keep rolling. S–t it got me where I’m at right now so I’m thankful for it all."
After his Knicks stint, Smith reinvented his game in part as a defensive specialist and logged time with multiple teams, including Charlotte and Brooklyn. He spent last season with Real Madrid but left that roster early following an injury, effectively sitting out organized competitive play since then while he rehabilitated and trained.
The current workout gives Smith an opportunity to show he is healthy and can contribute in the backcourt, where the Knicks are balancing veteran experience with youth and salary-cap constraints. Sources said New York’s front office is evaluating whether to open an additional roster spot in camp to carry one more vet into the regular season or to pursue a trade to preserve flexibility and keep multiple experienced wings and guards.
Smith’s athleticism and defensive instincts were viewed as his strongest attributes during his earlier NBA tenure, and his return visit to the Knicks is a reunion attempt by a player who still seeks a sustained role in the league. The workout is one of several auditions New York is conducting as it finalizes its training camp roster and assesses how to deploy its mix of guaranteed and non-guaranteed contracts.
Team officials did not announce a timetable for decisions. The workout will serve as an early indicator of whether Smith can overcome recent injury history and limited recent game action to secure a camp invite with a realistic chance to make New York’s regular-season roster.