James White, Forward in Italy, Agrees to Deal With Knicks The Knicks agreed Wednesday morning with forward James White on an offer sheet for a one-year deal. The 6-foot-7 White has played the past two seasons in the Italian Serie A, the country's highest professional league. White averaged 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists a game last seaspm for VL Pesaro. He also led the league in free throws made and attempted. In the previous season, White led the league by scoring 21 points a game for Dinamo Sassari. According to the terms of the deal, which was first reported by sportando.net, White will make the league minimum of $854,000. The deal cannot be completed until next Wednesday, after the end of the N.B.A."s annual moratorium. The Knicks are prohibited from commenting until then. White has limited experience playing in the N.B.A., although he has had two stints in the league. He played six games for San Antonio in the 2006-7 season. White also spent the entire 2008-9 season with Houston but appeared in only four games for a total of 11 minutes. White, 29, said he hoped to be a valued role player for the Knicks. "I'm overjoyed and relieved," he said. I'm not coming in to be a guy who doesn't play. I think I have the ability to contribute a lot and to make everyone around me better. White said he would not be on the Knicks" summer league roster. He will be in Las Vegas next week to begin practicing with the team and learning Coach Mike Woodson's system. "This opportunity right here," White said, "is one of the best chances I have to show what I can do." White's agent, Bill McCandless, said the Knicks started showing interest in White this spring. Knicks General Manager Glen Grunwald called McCandless on Sunday, the day free agency began, to begin negotiations. The Knicks brought in White for a workout on June 25. There, White impressed Grunwald with his passing ability and how he could score from multiple spots on the court. White is also known for his highlight-reel dunks, which have earned him the nickname Flight. "I can't be happier for this guy," said McCandless, who has been White's agent since he was drafted out of Cincinnati in 2006. I think the Knicks get somebody who did what teams told him to do - he worked, improved and got better. He's had three excellent seasons in Europe. McCandless said White was not ready to play in the N.B.A. during his rookie season and was soon sent to the Development League. There, White began working on his offensive skills. "I've changed my game the last four years since I went to the Development League," White said. I was never a scorer before then, and I added a piece to my game in finding my spots and getting to the free-throw line. White thought he was going to return to the N.B.A. last season. When the league settled on a new collective bargaining agreement in December, the Denver Nuggets wanted to sign White to a one-year deal. But White, who thought the entire N.B.A season would be lost to the lockout, did not have a buyout in his contract with VL Pesaro, and the team would not release him for less than $1 million. "I was hurt by that," White said. But that let me know I still had a chance to come back to the N.B.A. White is the second player currently in Europe whom the Knicks have been involved with this off-season. The team selected Kostas Papanikolaou of Greece with the 48th overall pick in the the draft last month.