The Knicks’ recent free-agent flurry has set up a straightforward camp battle, and John Konchar looks like the name to watch.
New York has spent the last few days scooping up multiple players on Exhibit 9 contracts, adding a mix that runs from veteran stopgaps like Bruce Brown to former second-overall pick James Wiseman. With Leon Rose and company bringing in that kind of range, the expectation is that training camp will feature an open competition for one more standard roster spot as the team heads into its title-defense run.
Among that group, Konchar stands out as the clearest frontrunner. The veteran forward has been identified as a player several teams pursued this offseason, and SNY’s Ian Begley reported that Konchar picked the defending champions over “a group of suitors,” a detail that points to a strong edge in the Knicks’ internal competition.
Konchar fits the profile of a useful bench piece. At 6-foot-5, he can handle both the two and the three, and his game is built on versatility and hard-nosed play. Over his career, he has averaged 4.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from 3-point range.
That said, the rest of the camp invitees are not completely out of the picture. The Knicks technically have two open roster spots, but financially they appear positioned to add only one player on a standard deal. If two players really separate themselves in camp, a trade could become the path to creating enough room for both.
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 🡒]
James Wiseman Gets A Real Chance To Answer One Knicks Need
The Knicks are taking a low-risk look at James Wiseman as they sort through a backup center situation that still feels unfinished. New York signed the former No. 2 overall pick to a training camp invite, giving him a path to show he can help behind the starters after injuries and uneven playing time have slowed what once looked like a far more promising career.
Wiseman still has the age and athletic tools that keep him on the radar, and the Knicks do not appear eager to add more bodies at center before camp gets underway. That leaves him in a real battle to make the case that he can provide size, rim protection and enough reliability to matter, with the opening there for someone to seize if he can finally turn his raw ability into something the Knicks can trust. [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 🡒]