#kyle guy

The New York Knicks had dreams of Zion Williamson heading into the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery. Though luck wasn’t on their side as they fell to number three in the lottery, the team was able to draft Williamson’s teammate at Duke University, RJ Barrett.

In the second round, the Knicks also held the 55th pick in the draft. Looking to pursue University of Michigan forward Ignas Brazdeikis, the Knicks were willing to deal the 55th pick and $1 million in cash considerations to move up to 47th. 

In a coincidence, the Knicks had owned the 47th spot at one point, but dealt it to Sacramento to hire executive Scott Perry who was still under contract with the Kings at the time.

The Kings selected Brazdeikis for the Knicks and New York drafted UVA guard Kyle Guy for Sacramento and traded him to the Kings.

A forward known for his offensive shot creation as well as his defensive limitations, Ignas “Iggy” Brazdeikis was an intriguing selection for a Knicks team mired in a rebuild. 

Brazdeikis was coming off one year at Michigan where he excelled, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Second-team All-Big Ten as the team got all the way to the 2019 NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The forward played in 37 games with the Wolverines, producing 14.8 PPG and 5.4 RPG. 

After striking out on star free agents Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and more, New York opted to sign mid-tier free agents such as Bobby Portis, Marcus Morris and Reggie Bullock.

Brazdeikis joined the Knicks for Summer League and played well in four games, recording 18.0 PPG on 55.1% from the field, 5.5 RPG and 2.5 APG in 28.9 MPG. He signed a three-year, $4.2 million deal with the Knicks during Summer League. The final year of the deal was a team option.

The Knicks began the season a miserable 4-18 when the team fired head coach David Fizdale. Assistant Mike Miller was named his interim replacement. there was more upheaval as president Steve Mills stepped down. The Knicks hired former player agent Leon Rose to become team president.

New York played marginally better after the coaching change, but still continued to struggle, finishing 21-45 before the NBA season was postponed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. When the league resumed the season with a Bubble concept in Orlando in August, the Knicks did not qualify due to their poor record.

Brazdeikis ended up playing nine games in his rookie year, averaging 1.9 PPG and 0.6 RPG in 5.9 MPG. He spent most of his rookie season with New York’s G-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. Brazdeikis played in 24 games that season, compiling 20.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 2.9 APG in 33.5 MPG. He had 36 points in a November game against the Grand Rapids Drive.

New York looked brand new after hiring head coach Tom Thibodeau. The team also added rookies Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley in the draft. Brazdeikis still found himself out of the rotation heading into his second year. 

He spent time in the G-League Bubble with the Westchester Knicks. Brazdeikis performed well, managing 20.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG and 3.6 APG in 12 contests.

Brazdeikis was traded by the Knicks to the Philadelphia 76ers in a three-team deal after only playing four games (two points and two rebounds) with the big league club.

He ended his run in New York with 1.5 PPG and 0.5 RPG in 13 games. Brazdeikis shot 26% from the field, 11.1% from three and 86% from the free-throw line in that time.

Kyle Guy was coming off a great college run. A former Indiana Mr. Basketball, Guy spent three years at UVA, and won an NCAA championship with the Cavaliers in 2019. He was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player after scoring 24 points against Texas Tech.

Guy played in Summer League with the Kings’ entries in Las Vegas and Sacramento. Overall, he appeared in seven games and averaged 14.9 PPG on 37.8% from the field, 3.0 RPG and 2.6 APG in 29.2 MPG. During the middle of Summer League the team signed Guy to a two-way contract.

Guy spent most of his rookie year in the NBA G-League with Sacramento’s affiliate, the Stockton Kings. He excelled, shooting 40% from the three-point line while managing 21.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.8 APG and 1.1 SPG in 37 games and 36.9 MPG. This included a 45-point eruption in December against the Iowa Wolves.

Guy only played just three games with the Kings, recording four points, one rebound and one assist in 10 minutes.

The Kings were up and down during the 2019-20 season. After going 15-29 to start the season, the team went 13-7 before the COVID-19 shutdown put the season on pause. Sacramento’s record was good enough to qualify for the Orlando Bubble and compete for a playoff spot. The Kings went 3-5 in the Bubble and missed out on the postseason.

In the 2020 offseason, the Kings drafted guard Tyrese Haliburton in the lottery. The team also changed the front office as Vlade Divac stepped down as Kings general manager and was replaced by Monte McNair.

In his second season, Guy played a bit more with the big league roster, appearing in 31 games and averaging 2.8 PPG, 1.1 RPG and 1.0 APG in 7.6 MPG.

The Kings had one of the worst defenses in NBA history during the truncated 2020-21 season. The team was 12-11 early on, but a nine-game losing streak derailed their season. Sacramento was close to qualifying for the newly installed play-in game, but ended up finishing 12th in the West with a 31-41 record.

Entering 2021 free agency, Guy was not a priority to the Kings. He became a free agent, and said that the Kings did not call him after his contract expired.

Guy ended his 34-game, two-year stint in Sacramento with averages of 2.7 PPG, 1.1 RPG and 1.0 APG. The guard shot 33% from the field, 28% from the three-point line and 80% from the free-throw line.

Guy joined the Golden State Warriors for 2021 NBA Summer League and later signed a training camp deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Ignas Brazdeikis on how he was drafted (via MSG Network):

“It was definitely stressful at times. Not knowing what’s going to happen at the draft. And I actually came to the room where my agent was and I was sitting there like I didn’t know what was going to happen. All of a sudden my agent gave me the phone and it was the New York Knicks and I was just so happy. My family was screaming. It was one of the best moments of my life.”

On who he is as a player (via New York Daily News):

“I’m a relentless player, I don’t fear anyone or anything. I don’t back down from anyone, either. I’m very confident in myself and my abilities as well. I go as hard as I can every single game. I do whatever it takes to help the team win. I’m aggressive. I feel like I know who I am as a basketball player.”

Kyle Guy on his draft position (via Hoops Hype):

“I’m grateful for the opportunity. I didn’t care if it was pick No. 7, pick No. 60 or not picked at all. Whoever wanted to give me the opportunity, I was going to be so grateful.”

Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac on drafting Kyle Guy, Justin James and Vanja Marinkovic in the second round of the draft (via the Sacramento Bee):

“We are so happy to welcome Justin, Kyle and Vanja to the Sacramento family. I think it was a great night for us. I’m happy with the outcome, so exciting to have those kind of players, who fit our style of basketball, and happy for the future of the Kings.”

On the acquisition of Guy (via AP): 

“I’m very confident he’s one of the best shooters in this class. He’s just unbelievable. When we had him first time, it was like everybody, we were so excited, like, ‘We’ve got to bring him again to see if he was just lucky,’ and, no, he was making a lot of shots the second time, too. If you talk about Kyle’s game and say one thing that is elite, it is definitely shooting is an elite weapon for him.”

How Guy’s perimeter shooting is elite (via The Ringer):

“We had three second-round picks, so we felt pretty good that we were going to have the ability to take him. His shooting ability is just great. That’s a true NBA skill. And [to make] it into the league, you need to have one skill, and he already has that.”

On the team trying to play an uptempo style (via AP): 

“You saw last year so basically we’re just going to continue to play that way. We need the players that can fit on our style. All three of them are good fits for us.”

How the team was excited after Guy’s impressive workout with the team (via NBC Bay Area):

“When we had him the first time, it was like everybody was so excited, like, we've got to bring him again and see if he's just lucky. No, he was making a lot of shots the second time too.”

New York Knicks president of basketball operations Steve Mills on how they felt that there’s no way that Brazdeikis would be available in the second round (via New York Daily News):

“Well this guy is going in the first round. We’re not going to have a chance to get him. And as we watched the draft play out, our analytics guys, he rates out really high as a rotational NBA player. So we said, when there’s an opportunity to go get him, we decided that was something important for us to do.”

Knicks first round pick RJ Barrett on playing with Brazdeikis in Canada on the Canadian national youth team (via New York Daily News):

“I remember that group. We grew up together so that was a really fun team. I just remember Iggy and I work really well together on the court. I don’t know what it is. We work really well together.”

Image Credit:

Ignas Brazdeikis: Getty Images/Elsa