CHARLOTTE — The Knicks signed PJ Tucker to a second 10-day contract Thursday, as The Post first reported

Tucker, 39, played sparingly on his first 10-day deal, which expired Wednesday night, but quickly became a popular presence in the locker room.

The next contract for Tucker, who did not play in the Knicks’ 115-98 loss to the Hornets on Thursday night, runs through March 29 and includes five more games.

After that expires, the Knicks must either sign Tucker for the rest of the season and the playoffs or waive him.

On the day he first signed, the veteran said the expectation was he sticks around.

Given the financial restrictions of the second apron, the Knicks could only fit Tucker onto a standard contract after two 10-day deals.

Tucker logged two minutes in his season debut Wednesday night during garbage time of a loss to the Spurs.

Before that, he hadn’t played since the 2024 playoffs with the Clippers.

Though Tucker was never expected to contribute much on the court, a league source said the team valued his leadership.

Tom Thibodeau seems to have settled on his bench rotation recently, with Mitchell Robinson, Cam Payne, Landry Shamet and Precious Achiuwa as the reserves.

Robinson, as expected, did not play Thursday’s loss to the Hornets in the second game of a back-to-back.

The center sat for “injury recovery,” which followed his 13-point, 11-rebound effort in Wednesday’s loss to the Spurs.

Robinson, who missed 10 months following ankle surgery, previously sat one game of a back-to-back set in early March. The Knicks still have four back-to-back sets remaining.

Robinson has undergone two surgeries to his ankle since December 2023. The recovery from the second procedure took longer than anticipated, although Robinson claimed there were no setbacks and he was just making sure he was 100 percent healthy.

The 26-year-old is signed through next season.

Without Robinson, Achiuwa was the only frontcourt reserve.

Thibodeau gave a nice tribute to Gregg Popovich, who still is recovering from a stroke and reportedly hasn’t made a decision on whether he’ll retire.

“What he means to the entire league, probably all coaches everywhere. You know, he’s been a great ambassador for the game. He’s had a great impact on all of us coaches,” Thibodeau said.

“What he means to the NBA, certainly to [San Antonio], all the things that he’s done, and we’re always thinking about him and we wish him well. We know he’s making steady progress. Whatever it is he decides to do, we’re behind him 100 percent. We wish him the best.”