The Knicks will sign former Duke and Creighton wing Alex O’Connell to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to SNY’s Ian Begley. According to sources, Duke/Creighton alum Alex O’Connell will join the Knicks for the Summer League. The Knicks own O’Connell’s G League rights, and he pleased them during a recent free agent minicamp. Update on this tweet: According to sources, O’Connell has an E-10 deal with NYK. He played in the Serie A last year.
O’Connell went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft. He had his first professional season with the Stockton Kings, playing 48 G League games and averaging 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 21.7 minutes. That year, AOC reduced its.476/.379/.769 ratio. AOC moved overseas last season to play for Reyer Venezia in the Italian Serie A (the country’s highest division). He concluded the season averaging 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game while shooting 41.9% from the field in 35 games, including 16 EuroCup games. The Westchester Knicks acquired O’Connell’s rights from Stockton in September but sent him to Europe. The 25-year-old participated in the Knicks’ free agent mini-camp.
O’Connell played college basketball at Duke and later Creighton. Throughout his final college season, he averaged 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He averaged 41.6% from the field and 32.7% from three in 35 games at Creighton. According to HoopsRumors, an Exhibit 10 contract is a “non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal” that “doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster.” In O’Connell’s case, that’s a predetermined conclusion, as the former Duke player will be unable to make the Knicks’ final roster for the 2024-25 season. E10 contracts can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins, which is arguably the best-case situation for O’Connell.
