Friday brought a fresh dose of uncomfortable hindsight for Knicks fans.
Kevin Knox, the former No. 9 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has signed a rest-of-season deal with Unicaja Malaga of the Liga ACB, according to reports. The move pushes him farther from the NBA spotlight and serves as another rough reminder of how badly New York missed on that selection.
Knox arrived in the league with the Knicks and is now eight years removed from that draft-night moment, five seasons after his exit from New York. For the franchise, the pick has only aged worse with time.
Scott Perry and Steve Mills passed on players who have become major hits elsewhere, including eventual MVPs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, taken 11th overall, and Michael Porter Jr., taken 14th overall, a future starter on a championship-winning team. Both are still producing at a high level, while Knox is headed overseas.
Knox wasn’t the only former Knick to land a new opportunity on Friday.
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that Ochai Agbaji has agreed to a standard contract with the injury-ravaged OKC Thunder. Agbaji spent this year in Knicks training camp and appeared in three preseason games, where he averaged 1.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game.
New York had a clear need for more frontcourt help and used its 14th standard roster spot on James Wiseman instead. And even if the Knicks had been looking to add another wing, reports indicated they were leaning toward Bruce Brown, not Agbaji.
Agbaji was waived before the regular season began, leaving him in unrestricted free agency. He is now set to join his fourth team since entering the league, with the Thunder hoping to tap into the talent that made him a top-14 pick in 2022.
In Other News...
Knicks May Already Have A Backup Center Problem They Feared
Losing Mitchell Robinson has already forced the Knicks to rethink the middle of their rotation, and the early returns suggest the backup center spot is not as settled as they would like. Andre Drummond has provided some value in the role, but the bigger question has been how much the team can lean on James Wiseman, who has barely seen the floor and has struggled when he has gotten chances.
Mike Brown has already had to get creative with his lineups, even using OG Anunoby at center at times, which says plenty about how much uncertainty still hangs over the position. For a team that needed a dependable answer behind Robinson, the issue is not just who can fill the minutes now, but whether the current depth chart really has a trustworthy solution at all. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Sent Another Clear Signal About Karl-Anthony Towns
The Knicks opened another bit of financial breathing room by declining Pacome Dadiets team option, a move that clears $5.4 million in space under next years second apron. It is the kind of roster housekeeping that can look minor on the surface, but in the NBA it often says plenty about where a team expects to spend its money next.
For New York, the signal is hard to miss: the front office is keeping its options open for a potential Karl-Anthony Towns extension while still trying to preserve flexibility elsewhere on the roster. Deuce McBride remains part of that balancing act, and the Knicks are clearly working through how to keep the core intact without boxing themselves in under the cap. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Sent A Clear Message About Pacme Dadiet
The Knicks have made an early call on Pacme Dadiet, declining to pick up his fourth-year option for the 2027-28 season, a move that trims away a future commitment worth $5.37 million. For a first-rounder taken 25th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, it is a notable step, even if his original four-year deal was signed at an under-slot salary and gave the team some flexibility from the start.
Dadiet has appeared in 48 regular-season games, but his role has remained limited and the production has not been enough to change the organizations long-term view. With the option now off the table, the path ahead looks pretty straightforward: he is still under contract for now, but unless something changes quickly, the Knicks are signaling that a reunion beyond that current deal is unlikely. [Read more 🡒]