The Knicks are heading into preseason with the roster picture still in motion, and Wednesday brought another round of changes that clarified some things while keeping plenty unresolved.
Right now, New York is carrying 21 players, and the core group looks pretty secure. Jose Alvarado, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Jordan Clarkson, Pacome Dadiet, Mohamed Diawara, Andre Drummond, Josh Hart, Tyler Kolek, Miles McBride, Landry Shamet and Karl-Anthony Towns are all considered virtual locks to stick.
That said, the Knicks still have some flexibility to keep adjusting. If enough of the non-guaranteed players stand out, the team could explore moving Pacome Dadiet elsewhere. There’s also the possibility that Leon Rose could swing a deal for a young big man like Moussa Diabate, and that kind of move would likely cost Miles McBride and/or Tyler Kolek.
McBride, who is now the longest-tenured Knick after Mitchell Robinson’s departure, said this week that he wants to stay in New York for the long haul.
“I love New York… I want to continue my career here … and end my career here.”
He said he’ll leave extension talks to his agency and the front office. McBride is one of three Knicks currently looking for extensions, and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Karl-Anthony Towns has a $61 million player option for next season, while Josh Hart has a $22 million team option. All three spoke this week about wanting to remain in orange and blue longterm, while also expressing frustration that no deals are in place yet.
The Knicks also have another group of players competing for what looks like one veteran minimum spot: Ochai Agbaji, Tony Bradley, Bruce Brown, Drew Eubanks and James Wiseman.
At the moment, New York has enough financial room to add one veteran minimum contract, so one of that group is likely to make the roster. If the Knicks create another opening through a trade, that would change the math. If not, they should eventually have enough room under the second apron to add a 15th player, likely in early January.
Mike Brown made clear what the team is looking for, especially when it comes to the frontcourt.
“We’re looking for bigs; Tony’s a veteran guy. He’s still in his prime… and he’s hurt us in the past… so to be able to add him to camp was a positive for us… we’re looking at that position (reserve center) heavy.”
That leaves the final spot looking like a five-man fight, though there’s reason to believe any of the candidates could still win it. Even so, the Knicks’ need at center is obvious, and James Wiseman already seems to be gaining traction as a possible answer.
The group got one more addition when Tony Bradley entered the mix, taking the tryout spot from John Konchar. Konchar had recently signed on but was waived Wednesday because of personal matters.
With three big men in the mix and only two wings, the likeliest signing now appears to be a center.
All five of those players are on Exhibit 9 deals, which are non-guaranteed contracts that allow a team to waive a player before the regular season without any cap penalty. The Exhibit 9 language also protects the team if a player suffers a significant injury in camp; in that case, the club can waive him and would only owe a one-time $15K payment.
The Knicks were also the last team in the league with all three two-way spots open, but that changed when Rose signed Tyler Nickel, Kevin McCullar Jr. and Jaden Akins.
Nickel appears to have the most secure path of the three, since he was drafted 47th overall earlier this summer and signed a two-year deal. The Knicks can waive Akins or McCullar Jr. later on without cap consequences, and they still have room to make a swap if another player becomes available and looks like a better fit before opening night.
For now, those two-way contracts give the players a chance to split time between the NBA and the G League, with a maximum of 50 NBA games apiece. That setup gives New York another developmental lane, and it could eventually lead to a promotion if a roster spot opens up later in the season.
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