The Knicks have added another name to the mix, signing center N’Faly Dante to an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced.
Dante’s path back into camp has been a winding one. He spent part of last season with Atlanta before a torn ACL in his right knee cut things short in a December G League game, and the Hawks waived him in February. Before that, he had appeared in four games with Atlanta last season and four more with Houston as a rookie in 2024/25.
New York also made official another transaction that had already been reported: the team signed Jaden Akins to an Exhibit 10 deal and then waived him. The 23-year-old guard spent last season in the G League with the Motor City Cruise.
Those Exhibit 10 contracts give both players a shot at bonuses worth up to $91K if they stay at least 60 days with New York’s G League affiliate after being waived. They can also be converted into two-way deals, and the Knicks currently have all three of their two-way spots open.
Elsewhere around the league, the Grizzlies waived Kira Lewis Jr. after signing him Saturday afternoon and replaced him with Lawson Lovering. Lovering, 23, played for the Memphis Hustle in the G League last season and also logged two NBA games with Memphis on a 10-day contract in February. The Grizzlies have been busy with a string of roster moves over the past two days as they get ready for training camp.
Charlotte also made a change, announcing the signing of Jarkel Joiner after waiving him in early September. The 27-year-old point guard played for Raptors 905 last season and fills the roster spot that opened when the Hornets waived Ryan Nembhard.
The Clippers added two more players as well, signing Hunter Sallis and Jason Preston. Sallis spent last season with the team’s G League affiliate in San Diego after appearing in seven games with Philadelphia on a two-way contract. Preston, meanwhile, had signed a training camp deal with Los Angeles last fall.
In Other News...
Knicks Draft Regret Looks Even Worse With Dadiet Now Stuck
Pacome Dadiets place on the Knicks roster has become more complicated than it looked on draft night, and the concern now is less about what he might become than what it might cost to move him. New York has reportedly seen his trade value dip enough that any deal could require draft compensation, a reminder that second-round swings are not just about upside but about how much flexibility they leave a team later on.
That reality only sharpens the debate around last years draft board, where several players taken in the same range have already looked like cleaner fits. Kyshawn George, Terrence Shannon Jr., Ajay Mitchell, Jaylen Wells and Oso Ighodaro all came off the board around Dadiet, and each name makes the Knicks decision look a little heavier in retrospect, especially with salary structure and roster space now part of the equation. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Hart Just Made His Knicks Contract Situation More Interesting
Josh Harts contract status came up at Knicks Media Day, and it was easy to understand why he wanted to address it now rather than let it linger. Entering a season where the roster expects to contend, Hart said he would prefer to have clarity before the 2026-27 campaign begins, a sensible stance for a player who has become a key part of New Yorks rotation and identity.
The bigger issue is less about the paperwork than the possible distraction if negotiations drag on. Hart acknowledged the kind of uncertainty that can creep in when extension talks remain open, and he made clear he does not want the situation hanging over the team for long. For the Knicks, it is another reminder that even in a focused locker room, contract questions can quickly become part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Brunsons Knicks Reaction Made This Celtics Departure Feel Personal
Jalen Brunson has spent the early part of the Knicks summer acknowledging how much Mitchell Robinson meant to the group that reached the championship stage, while also turning the page toward what comes next. Robinsons departure leaves a real void in New Yorks frontcourt, and it is the kind of move that changes both the on-court rotation and the emotional feel of a locker room that had leaned on his presence.
Andre Drummond is now part of that answer, and Brunson sounded encouraged by what the veteran can bring to the mix. The Knicks do not have to wait long for the first test of the transition, either, with early-season matchups looming against the 76ers and Celtics, giving Drummond an immediate chance to settle in and see how New Yorks reshaped big-man group holds up against familiar competition. [Read more 🡒]