Knicks officially dump JR Smith's brother, Chris, to sign Jeremy Tyler

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Michael Dwyer/AP

Chris Smith, seen here in preseason action, is cut loose by the Knicks on Tuesday.

The Knicks formally announced the signing of 6-10 Jeremy Tyler and the release of Chris Smith, the much-maligned younger brother of J.R. Smith on Tuesday morning, ending one of the more bizarre sagas in recent Knicks history.

Tyler was called up from the team's D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks after averaging 18 points on 47.8% shooting and 10.2 rebounds over 31 minutes in six games. But the release of Smith puts a capper on a strange tenure that was more memorable for the outrage it caused and his brother's reactions on social media than anything he did on the court.

Smith was curiously awarded a guaranteed contract of $491,000 once he made the opening night roster amid charges of nepotism. Coach Mike Woodson did little to dispel that notion when he admitted in training camp that having J.R. as a brother certainly gave him an advantage over others to make the team.

The Louisville product was promptly sent down to the BayHawks, where he spent much of the season before being called up on Dec. 17 because of injuries to point guards Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni. Smith wasn't granted much of an opportunity, however, appearing in just two games with the Knicks where he averaged a minute in each. More famously, Detroit's Brandon Jennings questioned why Smith was on the team via Twitter in early November, prompting big-brother J.R. to issue a threat in response. The NBA didn't take too kindly to this and fined J.R. $25,000 for 'directing hostile and inappropriate language' toward Jennings.

RELATED: KNICKS INSIDER: J.R. HINTS AT BROTHER 'BETRAYAL'

On Monday, J.R. seemed to voice his displeasure on social media with the Knicks decision to cut Chris, posting a picture on his Instagram account of Robert DeNiro and Sharon Stone in a scene from the film 'Casino' with the caption: 'You know the sad thing about betrayal? It never comes from an enemy.'

In six games with Erie, Chris Smith averaged 11.3 points and 4.5 rebounds with a high of 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting in a 106-104 loss to the Canton Charge on Dec. 14.

Tyler famously left San Diego HS following his junior year to play overseas. Despite struggling in Israel, he was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats in the second round (39th overall) of the 2011 NBA draft before having his rights traded to the Warriors.

Tyler initially signed a partially-guaranteed contract on Aug. 6 after playing for the Knicks NBA summer league team in Las Vegas and was waived on Oct. 25 after suffering a broken right foot.