The Knicks are NBA champions, but they aren’t resting on their laurels.
New York completed the 2026 NBA Draft with a couple of second-round rookies added to the organization, but failed to land a big man through two rounds of silliness. That could have been no problem had any of Mitchell Robinson or Ariel Hukporti been re-signed, but the former looks like a goner, and the latter is already set to become a UFA later today.
Enter Keith Palek III, who’s not your typical big but still long enough to fill
a frontcourt.
According to ESPN’s Josh Hennig, Palek signed a free-agent deal with the Knicks to play for their Summer League team after going undrafted.
“Palek III is joining the Knicks for practice July 4th weekend, and will be flying out with the team to Las Vegas for the 2026 NBA Summer League. He received interest from the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, but decided to sign with the 2025-26 NBA Champions.”
The agreement actually happened on June 25, less than two weeks after New York beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals and ended its 53-year championship drought, but nobody seemingly realized. Yikes!
Palek is a 6-foot-9 forward from Woodbine, New Jersey, and a St. Augustine Prep graduate. He also took a much longer route to this point than most players who wind up wearing an NBA practice jersey in Las Vegas.
Palek began his college career at Division II California University of Pennsylvania, where he averaged 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists across 88 games. His final season there was limited to six games because of injury, but he still averaged 18.8 points before transferring to Missouri State for his last year of eligibility.
The jump to Division I worked out about as well as he could have hoped, as Palek led Missouri State in scoring at 17.3 points per game, finished second on the team with 6.4 rebounds per game, and led the Bears with 121 total assists. He also made 40 three-pointers (albeit shooting 25.5% from beyond the arc on 157 attempts), finished second on the team with 33 steals, and earned second-team All-Conference USA honors.
Palek became the first Missouri State player to finish a season with at least 500 points, 200 rebounds, and 100 assists. Missouri State finished 16-18 overall and 8-12 in Conference USA, so this was not exactly a national-stage breakout, but the production was real.
According to ESPN’s report, the Bears’ standout also had some NBA interest before landing with the Knicks. He worked out for the Boston Celtics in May, and he told the Daily Citizen that the Detroit Pistons invited him to a workout before flight cancellations kept it from happening. Suck it!
“I feel NBA scouts liked my size and versatility, the ability to play multiple positions and play different roles,” Palek said.
When it comes to Palek’s added value to the Summer League squad, he will bring some much-needed size, strong overall production across the board, passing touch, and enough shooting to justify a look, even though the efficiency isn’t that great, as he seems to love any and every shot he takes.
The Knicks’ Summer League roster is expected to include several players already familiar to the organization and fans alike, including guards Tyler Kolek and Pacome Dadiet, wing Kevin McCullar Jr., and big Mo Diawara, along with incoming rookies Jack Kiyan and Tyler Nickel. No, I didn’t forget Ariel Hukporti—he just doesn’t belong anymore. That said, it will feature St. John’s guard Oziyah Sellers. Yay!
New York is scheduled to open Summer League play in Las Vegas against the Brooklyn Nets on July 10, followed by games against the Spurs on July 11, Pistons on July 13, and Warriors on July 16.
Welcome to New York, Keith!
You can follow Antonio on Twitter at @chapulana.
