Bruce Brown’s path to the Knicks came with a lot less buzz than anyone probably expected, especially after he drew interest from the Nuggets and Lakers in free agency. Instead of landing a clear-cut deal with one of those teams, Brown ended up in New York on a training camp agreement, and he didn’t hide what he thinks got in the way.
In a recent interview with the New York Post, Brown said the second apron became the go-to explanation for why the market never really opened up for him. As Stefan Bondy wrote, Brown “went from logging 82 games last season with a title contender to a scant free agent market. The teams interested “weren’t many,” he told The Post, and the common excuse was “the second apron.””
That fits the way this has played out so far. Denver had a roster spot available and could have brought him in on a veteran minimum deal, while the Lakers also surfaced as a possible landing spot. But as September neared, the Nuggets still hadn’t shown serious interest in making that happen, and New York stepped in with an Exhibit 9 deal instead.
The Knicks have been piling up competition around their last roster spots, and Brown is part of that group. Earlier this week, New York agreed to Exhibit 9 deals with Ochai Agbaji, Brown, John Konchar, Drew Eubanks, and James Wiseman. With only two roster spots open and the team nearing the second apron, every preseason rep matters for that entire cluster of veterans.
What makes Brown stand out is the kind of player he has been everywhere else. He can fill a lot of roles and cover a lot of positions, and he already has NBA Finals experience on his résumé.
That kind of versatility is usually enough to keep a veteran moving smoothly through free agency. This time, it wasn’t.
For the Knicks, though, that uncertainty may have created an opening. Brown arrives to a team that values him and a camp battle where he has a real shot to stick. And in New York, the second apron isn’t standing in the way of giving him that chance.
In Other News...
Nuggets Bench Wings Are Making Denvers Rotation Battle Harder To Ignore
The Nuggets second preseason win over Utah offered another look at a bench group that is starting to make the back end of the rotation feel a little less settled. Denver beat the Jazz 117-106, and the wing depth was a major part of why the game had a different feel than a typical exhibition tune-up. Alpha Diallo brought energy on both ends, Cam Whitmore flashed the kind of impact the Nuggets want to see from reserve wings, and the second unit again looked like it can change the tone of a game.
Julian Strawther, meanwhile, kept building on an encouraging start to the preseason after another productive outing. For a team trying to sort out roles before the games count, those performances matter because they are happening in the right places: on the wing, in lineups where defense, spacing and shot-making all carry extra weight. Denver still has more decisions to make, and the bench wings are making those calls harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Suddenly Have A Guard Battle Fans Didn't See Coming
The Nuggets are using the preseason the way most teams use it this time of year, as a live audition for the bench, and head coach David Adelman has made it clear he wants to sort through the group before the games start counting. Denver has several new pieces in the mix, including DeMar DeRozan, Marvin Bagley III and Alpha Diallo, while the backcourt depth chart is still being sorted out behind the main rotation.
What makes the situation interesting is the squeeze it creates for the players fighting for backup guard minutes. Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther and Spencer Jones are all in the conversation, but every preseason run is carrying more weight than usual as Adelman and his staff try to decide who fits and who may be the odd man out once the roster gets trimmed down over the course of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets May Already Be Settling Their Biggest Bench Question
With Jonas Valanciunas headed overseas, the Nuggets entered the preseason with a familiar roster puzzle tucked into the middle of their depth chart: who backs up Nikola Jokic when the games start to matter? The answer may already be taking shape. Marvin Bagley III, a recent offseason addition, has logged significant minutes in exhibition play and has quickly emerged as the player most often getting that look at backup center.
DaRon Holmes and Zeke Nnaji are still part of the conversation, and Denvers rotation can always shift once the games count, but the early usage has been telling. Bagley has been positioned as the primary option behind Jokic so far, which matters for a team that depends so heavily on stability at the five. The Nuggets still have time to change course, but the preseason signs suggest this particular bench battle may be trending toward a resolution sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]