The Knicks waived Okeke on Saturday.
Okeke couldn't crack the Opening Night roster, and now the forward will look for an opportunity elsewhere. He spent the previous four years of his career with the Magic, making 55 starts and 189 regular-season appearances with them.
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Knicks' Chuma Okeke: Back with Knicks
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Okeke and the Knicks agreed to a training camp deal Wednesday, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports.
The Knicks waived Okeke in order to process the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. However, they will bring Okeke back to camp to give the forward a chance to make the final roster.
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Knicks' Chuma Okeke: Inks contract with Knicks
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The Knicks agreed to a deal with Okeke on Thursday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
Okeke averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.2 minutes across 47 regular-season appearances, including eight starts, for the Magic in 2023-24. Now, the 25-year-old forward will have the opportunity to compete for depth minutes in New York's rotation.
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Chuma Okeke: To become free agent
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The Magic did not extend a qualifying offer to Okeke on Saturday, making him an unrestricted free agent, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
This move is a hardly a surprise, as Okeke failed to make the rotation on a consistent basis in 2023-24. The forward made just 47 appearances for the Magic, averaging 2.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.5 three-pointers in 9.2 minutes.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Sticks in rotation, barely
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Okeke recorded two points (1-1 FG) and one rebound across two minutes during Tuesday's 118-106 loss to Houston.
Okeke logged two minutes in the loss, taking to the floor for the second straight game. It's been a rough season for Okeke, playing just 45 games, during which he has averaged 9.4 minutes per contest. On a Magic team with lofty expectations, it's hard to see him carving out a meaningful role at any point in the future.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Back to bench
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Okeke won't start Sunday's game against the Heat, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Markelle Fultz, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter are all returning to the starting lineup, so Okeke, Caleb Houstan and Goga Bitadze will head to the bench, ending a string of eight straight starts for Okeke. As a starter, Okeke averaged 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals-plus-blocks in 27.3 minutes per game, but he figures to see a reduced workload as a reserve.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Will remain in starting lineup
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Okeke will start Monday's game against the Knicks.
A previous report had Anthony Black replacing Okeke in the starting lineup, but Orlando will stick with the same first five for a fifth straight game, meaning Jalen Suggs, Caleb Houstan, Paolo Banchero and Goga Bitadze will start alongside Okeke. As a starter (five games), Okeke has averaged 6.0 points 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 28.4 minutes per game.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Back to bench
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Okeke will come off the bench for Monday's game against the Knicks, Wendell Epps of Bally Sports Florida reports.
Anthony Black is jumping into the first unit alongside Jalen Suggs, Caleb Houstan, Paolo Banchero and Goga Bitadze. Orlando is starting to getting healthier after a brutal stretch of luck, so Okeke's minutes could trend down.
Okeke logged 16 points (6-10 FG, 4-8 3Pt), four rebounds, two assists and one block in 29 minutes during Friday's 99-96 loss to the Heat.
Okeke started for the fourth consecutive game and stepped up when the Magic needed him most, ending with a season-high scoring mark. However, Okeke hadn't scored more than three points in any of his previous starts, so fantasy managers should temper his expectations, as Okeke is starting only due to the team's lack of depth on the wings.
Okeke contributed three points (1-10 FG, 1-8 3Pt), 10 rebounds, one assist and one block over 27 minutes during Tuesday's 113-92 loss to the Timberwolves.
Okeke led the Magic in rebounding Tuesday, and it marked the first time he grabbed 10-plus boards in a game since March of 2022. It was about all he was able to contribute, as he missed all but one of his 10 shots in a game that saw the Magic held to 36.2 percent shooting in the loss. Okeke has registered seven-plus rebounds in each of his last four games.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Rare appearance Wednesday
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Okeke supplied zero points (0-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and two assists in five minutes during Wednesday's 139-120 victory over the Wizards.
Okeke appeared for just the eighth time this season, logging five minutes in garbage time. With the Magic arguably the hottest team in the league right now, there is simply no way for Okeke to be anything more than a blowout option. Simply put, there is no need to consider him a viable fantasy asset.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Secures three rebounds
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Okeke finished Wednesday's 116-86 win over the Rockets with zero points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and three rebounds over five minutes.
Okeke saw some minutes off the bench in Wednesday's blowout win and was unable to connect on his lone field-goal attempt. He averaged 4.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game over 27 appearances last year, and it seems as though he'll struggle to find consistent playing time once again during the 2023-24 campaign.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Moves back to bench
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Okeke isn't in the starting five for Friday's game versus Brooklyn.
Okeke move back to the bench after starting and playing 32 minutes in Thursday's game. Okeke is averaging 3.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 13.8 minutes across his previous 17 appearances this season coming off the bench.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Gets starting nod
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Okeke is in the starting five for Thursday's game versus the Cavaliers, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Okeke will be inserted into the starting lineup Thursday as the Magic are resting their typical starters after being eliminated from playoff contention. Okeke is averaging 6.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 27.6 minutes across his previous seven starts this season.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Back in rotation Sunday
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Okeke finished with three points (1-2 FG, 1-2 3Pt) and one rebound in 11 minutes during Sunday's 128-102 win over the Pistons.
Okeke played more than five minutes for the first time since mid-February, although you could be forgiven for not even noticing he was on the court. At this point, it appears that Okeke is going to struggle to maintain a spot on the roster, given he is basically out of the rotation. While he can be a menace on the defensive end, his shortcomings on offense make him somewhat unplayable. Barring a shift to a much more favorable situation, Okeke can be ignored in all formats.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Returns to action in loss
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Okeke (knee) closed Tuesday's 123-113 loss to the Raptors with zero points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and two rebounds in 13 minutes.
Okeke was back on the floor for the Magic for the first time since Nov. 21, making his return from an extended absence due to arthroscopic knee surgery. The 24-year-old presumably will be on a minutes restriction on some level for at least a few more games, though he may not get the chance to push far past the level of playing time he received Tuesday anyway. Orlando was without Jonathan Isaac (rest) and Cole Anthony (wrist) for the back end of the back-to-back set Tuesday, so if both players are ready to go when the Magic open their post-All-Star-break schedule Feb. 23 versus the Pistons, Okeke could find himself outside of the rotation.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Back with NBA squad
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Orlando recalled Okeke (knee) from the G League's Lakeland Magic on Sunday, and he's not included on the injury report in advance of Monday's game at Chicago.
For the first time since late November, Okeke looks like he'll be available off the Orlando bench for the team's two-game road trip, which concludes Tuesday in Toronto. Okeke had been sidelined with a sore left knee before undergoing an arthroscopic procedure in late December, but he was cleared to rejoin Lakeland on Feb. 6 to begin the ramp-up process. After his knee apparently responded well to 19- and 25-minute cameos in the G League on Friday and Saturday, respectively, versus the Salt Lake City Stars, Okeke will be an option for the NBA team moving forward. However, Okeke may not have a spot in head coach Jamahl Mosley's rotation, given that all of Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Jonathan Isaac and Bol Bol look to be ahead of him in the pecking order at either forward spot.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Remains out Saturday
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Okeke (knee) won't be available for Saturday's game against the Heat while he remains on assignment with the G League's Lakeland Magic.
Okeke appears to be healthy again after requiring arthroscopic left knee surgery, but Orlando is having him regain conditioning in the G League before clearing him to rejoin the NBA squad. Because he's a young player who may not have a regular spot in the NBA rotation the rest of the season, Okeke could play at least a few more games in the G League before getting called back up to Orlando. After being assigned to the G League on Monday, Okeke made his first appearance for Lakeland in Friday's 124-115 loss to the Salt Lake City Stars. He played 19 minutes and finished with 10 points (4-9 FG, 2-6 3Pt), two rebounds, one steal and one block.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Assigned to G League
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Okeke (knee) was assigned to the G League's Lakeland Magic on Monday, but there's still no timetable for his return to game action, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Okeke hasn't played since Nov. 21 and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery at the end of November. He was expected to be re-evaluated a month after the procedure, but he remains without a timetable heading into the All-Star break. Despite the bleak outlook, Okeke's status will remain day-to-day until the Magic release an official timeline for his return.
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Magic's Chuma Okeke: Still out
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Okeke (knee) has been ruled out for Monday's matchup against the 76ers.
Okeke hasn't played since Nov. 21 and underwent an arthroscopic knee surgery at the end of November. He was expected to be re-evaluated a month after the procedure, but the Magic have yet to provide another update. Okeke's availability will be handled on a game-by-game basis moving forward, but it's unclear if he'll suit up anytime soon.
