On Thursday, the New York Knicks revealed that Mamadi Diakite and DaQuan Jeffries had signed 10-day contracts.
Over the previous two years, Jeffries has come in and out of the Knicks’ system. Earlier this season, he played in 13 games with the NBA team. Jeffries spent the majority of his time on the G League, where he is averaging 22 points and 5.9 rebounds in 14 regular season games with Westchester. In that time, he played just under three minutes a game and averaged 0.8 points and 0.4 rebounds.
Diakite, who was also stationed in Westchester and averaged 12 points and 8.6 rebounds in seven games, will be joining Jeffries. Diakite participated in three games earlier this season with the San Antonio Spurs in addition to his 14 outings with the Milwaukee Bucks’ championship team in 2021.
The 57-year-old was an assistant coach during the first two seasons of Tom Thibodeau’s tenure with the New York Knicks. He had a terrible time leading the Cardinals, going 12-53 in those two seasons (including 5-35 in ACC play). If Payne’s career is actually over, it ended with a 94-85 loss to North Carolina State in the ACC Tournament’s first round.
After missing four games due to a concussion, Maxey is expected to play against the Knicks on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Following Joel Embiid’s ongoing absence, Maxey, who recently earned All-Star recognition, has been charged with carrying the load. He is averaging 26 points and a team-best 6.3 assists.
Philadelphia (36-28) defeated the Knicks 79-73 on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, moving them up to sixth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. This season’s fourth and final match between the divisional rivals will take place on Tuesday.
