Former Knicks wing signs with Australian team after no free agency interest

This time last year, the New York Knicks made a a surprising two-way contract transfer when they signed former Cavaliers forward Dylan Windler. He missed Cleveland’s first-round playoff loss to New York and played in just three regular-season games with an ankle injury.

You may remember Windler from the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Belmont was eliminated in the first round by Maryland, but he finished with 35 points (7 of 14 from three-point range) and 11 rebounds. He played for a small school, which is why many thought he was the most underrated player in the country.

Windler finished his college career shooting 40.6 percent from the field. His shooting earned him a first-round pick in the 2019 draft, when the Cavaliers selected him 26th overall. Unfortunately for Windler, he missed his rookie season with a stress fracture in his knee. In 2020-21, he averaged a career-high 5.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while making 33.8 three-pointers.

He stayed in Cleveland for two more seasons. He played a career-high 50 games in 2021-22 but was never a consistent face in the Cavaliers’ rotation. When he signed with the Knicks last summer, hopes weren’t high, but some fans thought he could be a fringe rotation player. They even converted his contract to a two-way deal to a standard contract in October. However, last December, New York waived Windler.

The Knicks let Windler go after Mitchell Robinson was injured, and they needed a roster spot to sign Taj Gibson. Shortly after Windler set a G League record with 33 rebounds in a game for Westchester, the Lakers signed him to a two-way contract. He played eight games for Los Angeles and averaged 3.5 minutes before the Lakers let him go in early March.

Windler signed a two-way contract with the Hawks through the 2023-24 season. He averaged 12.2 minutes per game in six games with Atlanta.

The 27-year-old entered the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Nearly two months into free agency, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that Windler signed with the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League of Australia. The team announced that Windler had signed a one-year contract.

His time with the Knicks was brief, but fans have no reason to object to Windler’s interest. Hopefully, he’ll have a good season in the NBL and attract interest from a few NBA teams.