Kevin Knox reportedly signs one-year deal with Detroit Pistons

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kevin-knox-reportedly-signs-one-year-deal-detroit-pistons — Photo by Jerome Miron | USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Knox is headed back to the Motor City.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Knox agreed to a one-year deal with the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, the same franchise he played 42 games with during the 2022-23 season before getting traded ahead of the deadline. The 24-year-old forward was waived by his previous team, the Portland Trail Blazers, prior to the start of the 2023-24 season after failing to make the roster. Knox reported to Portland’s G League affiliate, the Rip City Mix, for training camp last week, but he’ll now make his way back to Detroit. Terms of his new deal with the Pistons have not been announced.

Knox, who won SEC Freshman of the Year during his lone season at Kentucky in 2017-18, appeared in 63 total games (five starts) in 2022-23 for the Pistons and Trail Blazers. Between the two teams, he averaged 6.6 points and 2.8 rebounds on 45.8 percent shooting overall with a 34.9 percent clip from beyond the arc. He was traded from Detroit to Portland on Feb. 9.

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Free agent forward Kevin Knox has agreed to a one-year deal with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Knox returns to Detroit, where he played 42 games a season ago.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 8, 2023

Currently dealing with several injuries, the Pistons (2-6) were one of a few NBA teams with an open spot on its 15-man roster. Seven different players were listed on Detroit’s most recent injury report, with six of them ruled out for Wednesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Although Knox won’t be ready to go for that outing, his presence moving forward should provide some depth while the Pistons look to get everyone healthy.

Despite getting waived in October, Knox was actually playing some of the best basketball of his NBA career in 2022-23. His overall shooting percentage was a career-high and his three-point percentage was its best since 2020-21. Additionally, Knox’s 6.6 points per game were the most since his rookie season in 2018-19 with the New York Knicks, which drafted him No. 9 overall in 2018. He only turned 24 in August.