Henry Ellenson’s breakout night Tuesday in the comeback victory over the Magic has already paid off.
The Post reported before his bust-out Tuesday game the 6-11 power forward would sign another contract Friday, when his 10-day is up.
The Post has confirmed ESPN’s report Thursday that the new plan is for the contract to be not just for the rest of the season, but with a team option for next season, too.
If the Knicks use all their cap space on max free agents, with Kevin Durant being one of them, Knicks GM Scott Perry would have several roster spots to fill with minimum-contract players.
Ellenson’s rise — and new pact — could hurt the chances of young center Luke Kornet re-signing as a free agent. Kornet had started at center in late December and January, but his stock has recently fallen and he played four minutes against Orlando. Kornet does similar things as Ellenson as an outside shooter, but doesn’t have the same ball-handling ability. Kornet also was a Phil Jackson signee.
The Pistons gave up on the 22-year-old Ellenson, their 2016 first-round pick, on Feb. 8 to open up a roster spot for veteran guard Wayne Ellington. Ellenson told The Post his status with Detroit was damaged when Stan Van Gundy got fired as president/coach over the summer.
On Tuesday, Ellenson recorded a career-high 36 minutes. He made 3-pointers, rebounded and pushed the ball up the court — a skillset Knicks GM Scott Perry and coach David Fizdale cherish. The Marquette one-and-done wound up with 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists and was a plus-18.
“Fantastic minutes,” Fizdale said after the Orlando victory. “I didn’t think I’d play him 36 minutes, but he played so well. Scott Perry was telling me about this kid. He was drafted 18th. He’s got the talent but then lost his confidence. Let’s see if we can build him up and see what we have.”
Before the game, Ellenson told The Post his ball-handling after snaring rebounds was his chief attribute, and he clearly showed it against the Magic in his second Knicks appearance. Buried in Detroit this season under the new regime, Ellenson was mostly a G Leaguer with Grand Rapids, playing two games and 25 minutes with Detroit.