The Knicks spent the offseason making hard choices to trim the cost of their rookie class, and that strategy has already delivered some immediate benefits. New York’s front office kept moving back in the 2026 NBA draft, a move designed to reduce the price tag on its young additions, and that helped set up the re-signings of Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet in the days after the event.
But the early returns from Summer League are starting to make the whole thing look a lot less tidy.
Two players who were widely expected to be in the Knicks’ range around No. 24 - Baylor wing Cameron Carr and St.
John’s big man Zuby Ejiofor - have wasted no time flashing the kind of production that makes teams second-guess themselves. Carr was viewed as a scoring spark, while Ejiofor looked like a frontcourt piece worth developing.
New York had a clean path to take one of them, or even move up if it worried about another team jumping ahead. Instead, the board fell in a way that sent Ejiofor to the Hawks at No. 23, while Carr was effectively selected at No. 24 and then dealt to the Lakers.
It’s far too early to call that a mistake outright. Still, the first few games have made the “what if” question hard to shake.
Carr opened his Summer League run with 19 points last Friday, then followed that up on Sunday with a bigger statement: 26 points and eight rebounds in a performance that showed he can score from all over the floor. In two games, he has piled up 26 points with four 3-pointers in one outing and 19 points with five 3-pointers in the other, while shooting 45% from deep.
Ejiofor has been just as eye-catching for Atlanta. He started with eight points, 11 rebounds and three steals in his first Summer League game, then took it up another level with 19 points, 15 rebounds and a block in his second. He also knocked down three shots from deep in that outing.
Those numbers matter for New York because either player could have been in play.
Passing on Carr helped the Knicks keep Shamet, but there’s a real possibility Carr could end up matching Shamet’s production sooner than expected while offering far more upside and years of control. That becomes even more relevant with Miles McBride heading toward the end of his expiring deal, since Carr could have helped fill that lane at a similar cost.
Ejiofor brings a different kind of fit into the conversation. The Knicks did add Andre Drummond, but he is not a perfect stand-in for Mitchell Robinson.
Ejiofor could have given New York a younger, energetic option in the frontcourt to pair with an older signing like Drummond. Ariel Hukporti also left, which leaves the Knicks without a young center to develop at the back end of the roster, and that is a problem if the team can’t keep leaning on short-term center fixes forever.
There’s no denying the financial side of the equation. Taking Carr or moving up for Ejiofor would have pushed the rookie bill higher, and that might have made Shamet or Drummond impossible to keep. But the front office could also have explored moving a less essential contract, or one already trending toward a split, such as Pacôme Dadiet or McBride, to make room for a premium rookie and still preserve space for veterans.
For contenders, the draft’s back half can be where real value is found. The Thunder have Ajay Mitchell, the No. 38 pick in 2024 who was traded to Oklahoma City by the Knicks, and he’s become a real weapon off the bench.
The Celtics got Payton Pritchard at No. 26 before he became a legitimate starter. The Pacers landed Andrew Nembhard at No. 31 in 2022.
The Mavericks used Jalen Brunson at No. 33 as a springboard to their rise to Finals contention.
New York still has a chance to find something at No. 39 with Jack Kayil and No. 47 with Tyler Nickel. But by moving back from Nos. 24 and 31, the Knicks made it harder to land a rookie with the kind of game-changing upside that can outplay his contract.
Leon Rose and the front office made the call they believed was right at the time. The problem is that Carr and Ejiofor are already giving the Knicks a reason to wonder whether they passed on more than they realized.
In Other News...
Knicks Fans Finally Get A Look At One Intriguing Newcomer
The first real look at Jack Kayil has been a little slower in coming than Knicks fans probably hoped after New York took the Alba Berlin guard with the 39th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Kayil sat out the clubs first Summer League game because of a delay tied to his team in Germany, but the wait appears close to ending, giving the Knicks a chance to see the kind of newcomer they added after trading down and stockpiling second-round picks in a draft shaped by their salary cap realities.
Kayils arrival also comes with the usual questions that follow an international pick in this spot. He does not have an obvious opening on the big club right now, and the Knicks may ultimately leave him in Germany next season as a draft-and-stash option. For now, though, the more immediate intrigue is simply getting him on the floor, with his debut expected soon and a matchup against the Spurs looming as the next chance for New York to evaluate what it has. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Clarksons Return Just Put More Heat On Tyler Kolek
Jordan Clarksons return gives the Knicks another experienced guard option and, in the process, tightens an already crowded backcourt picture. For Tyler Kolek, that means the margin for error keeps shrinking as he tries to carve out a real role in a rotation that already has Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado ahead of him.
Kolek still has time to change the conversation, but the path back into meaningful minutes looks anything but straightforward. Unless the Knicks make a move that reshapes the guard group or injuries open a lane, he is left waiting for an opening that may not come quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks May Have Made Their Smartest Summer Move Without Fixing Center
The Knicks spent part of the summer adding familiar depth pieces in Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet and Andre Drummond, but the quieter move may have come in the draft-pick column. New York has also picked up four future second-rounders in recent trades, a stash of low-cost assets that gives the front office more ways to keep tinkering without touching the top of the roster.
That matters because the center spot still looks like the area most worth watching, even after the Drummond addition. The Knicks have been linked to other frontcourt possibilities, including Kyle Filipowski, and the extra picks could give them a path to chase another big or package together a broader trade if they decide the current group still needs one more answer inside. [Read more 🡒]