The Knicks are staring at a roster squeeze, and the decision in front of them is pretty simple: if they want both James Wiseman and Bruce Brown, they’re going to have to make a move.
New York has two open roster spots, but only one it can fill while staying under the second apron. If the team has to choose one player to keep, Wiseman probably has the inside track because of the Knicks’ need for center depth. Behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond, there really isn’t another big man waiting in the wings, and that makes Wiseman the safer bet.
Still, there’s a case for finding a way to keep Brown too. The deadline to get the roster finalized is Monday at 5 p.m.
ET, so this can’t linger much longer. Brown’s value is obvious: he brings postseason experience and he’s available, which matters for a team trying to manage its load early in the year.
The cleanest path to making room would be a trade, and Tyler Kolek is one of the names circulating in the rumor mill. Jose Alvarado’s arrival pushed Kolek further down the depth chart, and with a club option for next year, another team might see more upside in him than the Knicks do. Pacome Dadiet is in a similar spot, with a club option and a preseason that has gone poorly.
Miles McBride is also part of the discussion. His future with the team has been a talking point all offseason, and while it doesn’t sound like the Knicks intend to keep him after this season, moving him would give them their best chance to win right now. That would mean giving up the sharp-shooting guard who hit 41.3% from three last season, but it could be the price of keeping Brown in the fold.
If New York has to choose between Kolek and Dadiet, Kolek appears to have the stronger market value. Dadiet’s uneven results over the past few years make him harder to move. Even so, both players are clearly in the expendable category, and Brown offers more immediate help for a team with championship expectations.
That’s the other part of this decision: Brown isn’t just a veteran body. He’s a proven playoff piece.
During Denver’s title run in 2023, he played 26.6 minutes per game and put up 12 points, four rebounds and two assists while shooting 51.1% from the field. He also scored more bench points than anyone else in that postseason, finishing with 240.
Availability is another selling point. Brown played in all 82 games last season after returning to Denver following his title run, and he looks built for a heavy workload. In 2025/2026, Bruce Brown averaged 24.4 minutes, 7.9 ppg, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and shot 47.5% from the field.
Mike Brown also made it clear this week that he likes what he’s seen from the veteran guard. As he put it: "It's great that you're able to get vets like him into camp because you get to know them, just as much as their game.
He's been doing a nice job. He was with the group a few nights ago ... those guys made a couple of…"
There’s an urgency to all of this beyond the roster math. The Knicks are already the third oldest team in the league, and the future payroll picture isn’t getting any lighter with Jalen Brunson due for another contract and extension talks still hanging over Josh Hart and KAT.
Moving Kolek and keeping Brown wouldn’t make the Knicks younger, but that’s not really the point. Brown’s experience, including time in this market with the Brooklyn Nets, gives New York another bench option it can trust. And if the goal is to repeat, the Knicks are probably more likely to lean on Brown in meaningful playoff minutes than Kolek or Dadiet right now.
In Other News...
Jose Alvarados Knicks Fit Suddenly Looks More Complicated
Jose Alvarados early Knicks audition has been a little messier than the energy he brings usually suggests. Through four preseason games, the guard has had trouble getting it going offensively, knocking down just 36.0% of his shots and coming up short on most of his looks from deep, which has made the fit around him feel less straightforward than it might have looked on paper.
The bigger question is where he actually slots best in New Yorks rotation. His impact has been noticeably better when he shares the floor with Karl-Anthony Towns than when he is paired with other centers, a reminder that lineup context matters as much as individual effort. Alvarado has dealt with shooting slumps like this before and also has a track record of working his way out of them, but for now the Knicks are still trying to sort out what his most effective version looks like. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Fans Have Every Right To Side-Eye Dallas Over Moussa Cisse
The Mavericks handling of Moussa Cisse has given Knicks fans another reason to roll their eyes at Dallas. After matching New Yorks offer sheet, the Mavs now may look at removing him from the roster in order to keep Dwight Powell, a twist that makes the original decision look less like a clean basketball call and more like a move made with the Knicks in mind. For a team that has crossed paths with New York before in player and coach movement, the optics are hard to ignore.
From the Knicks side, it is the kind of episode that fuels the old suspicion that rival front offices sometimes care just as much about blocking a competitor as improving their own roster. If Dallas does end up moving on from Cisse after matching the offer, it would only sharpen the sense that the Mavericks first choice was driven by something beyond the player himself. For a Knicks fan base already attuned to every slight, it is the sort of front-office drama that is easy to side-eye. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Rebuild Could Put One Veteran's Future In Immediate Doubt
Karl-Anthony Towns has already made clear what the Knicks think they added in Andre Drummond, calling the veteran center a valuable piece after he arrived on a one-year minimum deal following his season in Philadelphia. For a team that is trying to stay in the thick of the East, Drummond gives New York another experienced frontcourt option, and his presence only adds to the depth questions that will follow the roster all season.
The bigger roster watch, though, may be how the Knicks balance short-term stability with longer-term decisions around the edges. Miles McBrides extension talks have reportedly stalled, which has fueled speculation he could be moved before the February deadline, while the team is also hoping Mohamed Diawara takes a step forward in his second year. Across town, the Nets are still sorting out their own rebuilding path, with their playoff hopes tied to young-player growth and possible trade maneuvering, a backdrop that could shape the market New York has to navigate. [Read more 🡒]