Jericho Sims will be wearing a different jersey.
The Knicks traded Sims, the embattled third-year center, and the draft rights to Matthias Lessort to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the three-team deal sending Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee and Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards, a league confirmed to the Daily News.
As part of the deal, the Knicks received veteran guard Delon Wright, the draft rights to Hugo Besson and cash considerations, according to a source.
New York’s desire to trade Sims was apparent, and a deal was expected to take place for a variety of reasons approaching Thursday’s deadline.
Sims had been largely relegated to a bench role after failing to make an impact in extended minutes on the floor this season. The uber-athletic big man showcased little more than supreme leaping ability during his time in New York, and his lack of both production and impact continued to hamstring a team in desperate need for quality minutes behind Karl-Anthony Towns at the five with Mitchell Robinson’s lengthy absence rehabbing from offseason ankle surgery.
In the two games leading up to Thursday’s deadline, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau tabbed Ariel Hukporti — the rookie selected with the 58th and final pick in June’s NBA Draft — to play backup minutes at the five over Sims. Thibodeau had previously bumped Precious Achiuwa into the backup five slot over Sims but moved Achiuwa into the starting lineup OG Anunoby sustained a right foot sprain.
Robinson has also been making strides in his recovery and is set to begin taking contact in practice, one of the final hurdles to clear before he returns to his post as defensive anchor at Madison Square Garden.
As Sims watched from the bench, Hukporti impressed both in Monday’s victory over the Houston Rockets, spurring a surprise visit from Knicks owner James Dolan at his locker after the game.
Hukporti put forth another strong performance on Tuesday, posting 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in a victory over the Toronto Raptors. Hukporti recorded more blocks in his spare playing time than Sims despite logging 300 more minutes.
Sims gets a fresh start in Milwaukee and a chance to showcase his athletic abilities alongside Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Knicks selected Sims with the 58th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He averaged 2.4 points and 3.9 rebounds through 177 career games in New York.