The Miami Heat were in the mix for John Konchar, but the New York Knicks got to him first.
Konchar’s path over the last few weeks has been a strange one. He started with the Utah Jazz, got traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and then was released when Minnesota moved to sign Jonathan Kuminga. That sent him into free agency, where several teams checked in.
“John Konchar is one of the top free agents available and has drawn interest, league sources say, from Miami, New York, Orlando and Toronto,” The Stein Line’s Marc Stein wrote.
On Tuesday night, the Knicks closed the deal. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Konchar agreed to terms with the defending NBA champions.
“Free agent forward John Konchar agreed to a deal with the New York Knicks, agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group told ESPN on Tuesday night. Konchar, 30, is entering his eighth NBA season after spending 2025-26 with the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies," Charania wrote.
Miami had conversations with Konchar about a possible signing, but the Heat never got to the finish line before he made his choice.
“Knicks made offer that Konchar accepted tonight, as Shams said. Heat told Konchar it would get back to him this week with decision on whether there would be offer after 2 conversations on recent days, but he decided to join NBA champs instead of waiting on Heat to decide,” Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson wrote.
Konchar’s career earnings are listed at $21 million, and his addition gives New York another defensive-minded piece to plug into the roster. For Miami, it goes down as a missed opportunity, even if the team still has plenty of talent on hand.
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