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Dallas Mavericks sign ex-New York Knicks guard, No. 8 pick Frank Ntilikina

Former New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina, shown Nov. 16, 2019, spent four years with the Knicks, who selected him with the No. 8 overall pick in 2017. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Former New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina, shown Nov. 16, 2019, spent four years with the Knicks, who selected him with the No. 8 overall pick in 2017. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 16 (UPI) -- The Dallas Mavericks bolstered their backcourt by signing former New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina.

The Mavericks announced the signing of Ntilikina on Thursday. Terms of the contract weren't disclosed.

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Ntilikina played four seasons for the Knicks, who selected him with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. In that same draft, the Mavs took Dennis Smith Jr. with the ninth selection, later trading the guard to the Knicks in the blockbuster deal that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas.

The 23-year-old Ntilikina averaged 5.5 points, 2.7 assists and two rebounds over 211 career games (55 starts) with the Knicks. He had career-worst averages of 2.7 points and 0.6 assists over 33 games (four starts) last season, his final in New York before becoming a free agent.

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Born in Belgium, Ntilikina moved to France when he was 3 years old and started his professional basketball career in 2015 in a French pro league.

Ntilikina competed in the Summer Games in Tokyo for the French national team, which lost to the United States in the gold medal game.

The Mavericks have focused on guards this off-season, previously adding veterans Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown in free agency. Dallas also re-signed shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr.

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