Former Orlando Magic point guard Brandon Jennings. (Photo : Getty Images)
Point guard Brandon Jennings is set to sign with the New York Knicks to a one-year, $5 million deal this summer as the team quickly ends its search for a potential backup to newly-acquired starter Derrick Rose.
Rose, together with Justin Holiday and a 2017 second-round draft pick, was traded by the Chicago Bulls to the Knicks two weeks ago in exchange for their starting center Robin Lopez and point guards Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant.
With the former NBA MVP as the only option of head coach Jeff Hornacek after the trade, the team had since been in pursuit of his main substitute to the spot and the hunt did not take a long time after the 26-year-old Jennings agreed to terms with them.
Jennings is coming off a short stint with the Orlando Magic in the second half of last season following a trade from the Detroit Pistons last February after he returned from an Achilles tendon injury.
While still playing for the Pistons, the former Oak Hill Academy high school standout ruptured his left Achilles in January of 2015 and underwent an operation to repair it. He was averaging 15.4 points, 6.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in 41 games that season as a starter when he went down, ESPN reported.
He was able to return in December of 2015 but was placed in Detroit's D-League team in his first day back as he continues to rehabilitate his injured foot.
Jennings soon suited up for the Pistons, but he and power forward Ersan İlyasova were traded to the Magic for Tobias Harris before this year's trade deadline.
He played 25 games, starting only in six, and averaged career-lows of 7.0 points, 2.0 boards, and 4.0 assists for the Magic before the Knicks targeted him this July after he became an unrestricted free agent.
"It's been a challenging year," Jennings said after his trade to Orlando, as per the New York Times. "Coming off the bench, of course, has been challenging for me. It's the first time I've done that it in my career."
As it turned out, he will continue to come off the bench in New York City with Rose chosen as the undisputed starter for Hornacek's squad.
Jennings' acquisition satisfied the head coach's wish to improve his point guard rotation, though, as the Knicks were able to let go of the old-and-young pairing of Calderon and Grant for the dynamic combination of Rose and Jennings when healthy.
