The Knicks are starting to put the pieces together ahead of training camp, and one of their newest additions points to a very specific kind of bet.
On Wednesday, New York announced five Exhibit 9 signings, the sort of camp deals that function like Exhibit 10s for veterans. Drew Eubanks, James Wiseman, John Konchar, Bruce Brown and Ochai Agbaji all came aboard, with none of the contracts carrying a guaranteed path onto the regular-season roster.
That last name stands out because the Knicks seem to be chasing a familiar template. Agbaji looks a lot like the kind of player New York has brought in before during camp stints for Landry Shamet and Garrison Mathews: a young-ish journeyman shooter entering a winning setting to see whether the environment can bring something more out of him.
The appeal is obvious. The Knicks could use a third center, but Agbaji gives them a chance to evaluate a wing who can shoot threes and defend, and maybe fit around stars like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. If it works, he could follow Shamet’s path and stick.
Agbaji, 26, was drafted 14th overall in 2022 after starring at Kansas. He began his NBA career with the Utah Jazz, then was traded to the Toronto Raptors before the deadline in his second season. He remained in Toronto until this past season, when the Raptors moved his contract to the Brooklyn Nets’ young roster.
New York technically has space for two veterans, but SNY’s Ian Begley noted that the Knicks can’t fill both of those spots with veteran-minimum contracts without pushing into forbidden second-apron territory.
That leaves Leon Rose’s front office with a tight balancing act as the title defense gets underway after 53 years. Last season, the Knicks had more flexibility than expected because Malcolm Brogdon unexpectedly retired after nine NBA seasons.
Unless one of these veterans decides to pull off something similar, New York will have to manage the roster and the cap carefully as camp approaches.
The good news for the Knicks is that these deals come with a clean exit. If Agbaji or any of the other camp veterans doesn’t impress, the team can move on quickly. These Exhibit 9 arrangements are designed to be low-risk, and if a player is injured during camp, the team would only owe $15,000.
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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 🡒]