The Knicks have added five names to the mix on Exhibit 9 contracts, and the early question is simple: who actually gives New York the most at training camp?
Ochai Agbaji, Bruce Brown, Drew Eubanks, John Konchar, and James Wiseman are all headed to join the defending champions, with the Knicks still sitting on two open roster spots. The front office clearly has two needs in mind - wing depth and a third center - and each of these players fills a different part of that picture.
At the wing, Agbaji, Brown, and Konchar are the group to watch. New York already has an elite starting trio in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, but the depth behind them is thinner than the Knicks would like, especially when it comes to size and scalable defense. In the middle, Eubanks and Wiseman are there to make a case as the third big behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond.
If the ranking is about who can help the most right now, Bruce Brown sits at the top.
Brown missed the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons because of injuries, which is why he still comes with some hesitation. But in 2025-26, he played all 82 regular-season games for the Denver Nuggets and looked like a more efficient version of Konchar. His per-36 numbers last season translated to 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 offensive rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 three-point field goal made while shooting .475/.385/.762.
That’s only part of the case. Brown also brings championship pedigree, having played a major role in the Nuggets’ 2023 title run.
He has been through the biggest playoff moments and delivered on both ends. In 2025-26, he ranked in the 62nd percentile or better in perimeter isolation defense, ball screen navigation, rim deterrence, and defensive positional versatility, per Basketball Index.
He also finished in the top third of the league in one on one shot making efficiency.
Ochai Agbaji is the hardest one to pin down. At his best, he checks every box the Knicks are looking for: a 3-and-D wing with real size, measuring 6'5" and 215 pounds with a 6'10.25" wingspan. He can defend scorers at multiple positions and space the floor when his jumper is right.
The problem is that the jumper was not right in 2025-26, and it’s unclear whether it bounces back in 2026-27. Agbaji was still strong defensively, though.
He finished in the 94th percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 99th percentile in off-ball chaser defense in 2024-25, per Basketball Index, and followed that with marks in the 84th and 61st percentiles in 2025-26. Even with the shooting dip and a mid-season trade, he remained one of the better on-ball defenders in the league and an above-average off-ball defender.
His three-point numbers tell the story: 35.5 percent in 2022-23, 29.4 percent in 2023-24, 39.9 percent in 2024-25, and 26.6 percent in 2025-26.
John Konchar brings a different kind of value. The intangibles are obvious, and he fits the mold of a backup who can help replicate what Hart gives the Knicks in terms of energy, rebounding, and effort. Konchar is a solid off-ball defender, does well against the pick and roll, and can make the hustle plays that tend to light up Madison Square Garden.
Still, the numbers leave room for doubt. Konchar finished the 2025-26 regular season in the seventh percentile in perimeter isolation defense, per Basketball Index, and hit just 28.3 percent from three.
That made it the third time in four years he finished at 33.9 percent or worse from beyond the arc. He’s useful, but Brown has done more of this at a higher level and with a broader skill set.
Drew Eubanks is the more stable option of the two centers. Wiseman has the bigger ceiling, but Eubanks has something far more practical: recent NBA minutes. He played in 103 games over the past two seasons and produced per-36 averages of 13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 0.7 steals.
He also fits the Knicks’ needs in a very specific way. In 2025-26, Eubanks ranked in the 97th percentile in screen assists per 75 possessions, which points to real value for Jalen Brunson.
Defensively, he ranked in the 96th percentile in rim protection and the 99th percentile in post defense. He may not have Wiseman’s upside, but he’s the more proven player and the one likelier to get real NBA minutes.
That leaves Wiseman, whose talent is impossible to ignore and whose track record is impossible to gloss over. The former No. 2 overall pick still has the kind of physical tools that make people dream on what he could become in the right environment. There’s obvious intrigue in the idea of him benefiting from the Knicks’ culture, coaching staff, and veteran leadership.
But he’s played just four NBA games in 2025-26 and only one in 2024-25. Five total appearances across two seasons is a tough sell, even with career per-36 averages of 17.2 points and 10.6 rebounds. His ceiling is the highest of the five, but the long stretch without regular NBA minutes - plus the inconsistency that came before that - keeps him at the bottom of this group.
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