Knicks Acquire Jared Harper, Bruce Pearl Says He’s ‘Worth The Price Of Admission’

The Knicks acquired former Auburn guard Jared Harper and his two-way contract off waivers on Thursday, while waiving former Arizona guard Kadeem Allen in the process.

The 5-foot-11 Harper helped lead Auburn to the NCAA Final Four in 2019, and Tigers coach Bruce Pearl believes he will have a chance to make the 15- man roster.

“The Knicks are getting a true scoring point guard,” Pearl said by phone. “He’s under-sized but pound-for-pound is as strong and athletic as any player out there on the floor. He has tremendous range and the ability to pull from deep. He’s special in ball-screen and plays at a real good tempo.”

After going undrafted last year, Harper signed a two-way with the Phoenix Suns. In 33 games with their G League team, Harper led Northern Arizona with averages of 20.8 points and 5.7 assists per game.

The Knicks (21-45) are done for the season and won’t compete among the 22 teams in the NBA restart in Orlando beginning next month, but Pearl thinks Harper will have a chance to compete for a roster spot when their training camp resumes.

The Knicks will hold Harper’s rights when he becomes a restricted free agent, if they don’t re-sign him first.

“The Knicks, they’ve got Dennis Smith and maybe they draft [LaMelo] Ball, but I think this is the kind of team that Jared could make and stick with next year,” Pearl said.

“He’s just a flat-out winner and he’s got a chip on his shoulder. He’s not afraid, he’s not intimidated. He’s got a great confidence and you need that at that level.

“I told people when he came to Auburn, that he’d be worth the price of admission and that will be the case in New York as well.”

The 6-1 Allen averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 assists in 10 games with the Knicks.

The Knicks still have to name a new coach, with former NBA head coaches Tom Thibodeau, Kenny Atkinson, Mike Brown and Jason Kidd among those in the mix. Team President Leon Rose said the team expected to name a coach sometime in mid- to late-July.