James Wiseman is walking into Knicks camp with a real opening in front of him.
New York’s recent run of signings might have looked like wing-heavy business on the surface. The additions of John Konchar, Bruce Brown, and Ochai Agbaji do plenty to deepen that part of the roster, but they do not answer the team’s need for another big man. And even with those moves, the Knicks still appear interested in bringing in another backup center.
That’s where Wiseman comes in. On Tuesday, the Knicks announced they had signed the former No. 2 overall pick to an Exhibit 9 contract, which gives him a training camp invite.
Wiseman’s career has been defined by stops and starts since Golden State took him second overall in 2020. Injuries have been part of the problem, and so has the lack of steady playing time. Over the last two seasons, he has appeared in only five games and averaged 3.8 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 57.1 percent from the field.
There was a brighter stretch earlier in his career with Detroit. In a one-and-a-half-year sample with the Pistons, Wiseman put up 8.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and just shy of a block per game.
He is still only 25, which leaves him with youth and athleticism that could still matter. If he makes enough of an impression in camp, he could at least put himself in position to follow Trey Jemison’s path and land a two-way deal for the 2026-27 season.
The other thing working in Wiseman’s favor is the current state of the Knicks’ center room. At the moment, his competition is thin, with Drew Eubanks and Liam Robbins standing as his only challengers at the five.
That said, New York does not have to force anything here. Training camp is still a few weeks away, and the regular season is just over a month from tipping off, but the Knicks already have the league’s minimum roster size of 14.
They could, in theory, go into the season without adding anyone else. That is not the plan, but it is an option. More importantly, they do not need to hurry.
Coming off their 2026 NBA Championship, the Knicks are in a strong enough position to wait if they want to. They can keep an eye on the trade market, or even the buyout market, and look for a more appealing and cost-effective addition later on.
In Other News...
Knicks Still Have One Roster Decision Nets Fans Will Notice
The Knicks have quietly kept their offseason roster churn moving even after the headline moves settled in, reaching contract agreements with John Konchar and Drew Eubanks as they sort through the last few spots on a 21-man preseason group. There is also some broader organizational news around Jalen Brunson, whose family has launched Thirty Third Management Group, a brand advisory firm that will start by focusing on women's professional sports, but the basketball side still has a few decisions to make before camp fully takes shape.
One of those choices is the kind of detail rivals and fans alike will watch closely, because it affects both the preseason competition and the clubs two-way structure. The Knicks have three open two-way slots, with second-round pick Tyler Nickel expected to take one, and Kevin McCullar Jr. still in the mix to return, while the team continues to weigh veteran depth options behind the main roster and the growing list of names tied to those final openings. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Created A New Camp Battle Around Jalen Brunson
Training camp is about to get a little more interesting for the Knicks, who have added another guard to the mix in Ochai Agbaji. The former first-round pick has already bounced from Cleveland to Utah, Toronto and Brooklyn, and now arrives in New York with a chance to show he still belongs in an NBA rotation after averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds last season.
For a team built around Jalen Brunson and a backcourt that already has a clear hierarchy, any late-summer addition has to carve out a role the hard way. Agbaji brings a resume that suggests there is still something to prove, and the early days of camp will reveal whether New York views him as just a body for competition or a player who can push his way into the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Put Their Final Frontcourt Spot In Play
The Knicks have left themselves one more frontcourt decision to make, and Drew Eubanks is now in the mix for it. New York brought in the veteran center on a non-guaranteed contract, a low-risk move that gives the team another big body for training camp and adds a familiar NBA presence behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond.
There is still room for one more veteran minimum deal, and the way the roster is set up, Eubanks has a clear lane to stick as the third center. For a team that knows it will need depth across the front line over the course of the season, this is the sort of camp battle worth watching closely as the Knicks sort out their final interior spot. [Read more 🡒]