The Knicks are staring at a familiar kind of problem for a team that just won it all: the bill is coming due. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart form a championship core, but it is also an expensive one, and the cost is only going up. With the second apron closing in, New York may eventually have to move on from at least one of those top pieces in the next few years.
That makes the next layer of the roster matter more than ever. The Knicks are in position to have useful depth, but not every reserve is going to carry the same weight when the rotation gets reshaped.
If New York is going to keep building around Brunson after the salary crunch hits, it needs players who can grow into bigger jobs. Three names stand out.
Jose Alvarado is already giving the Knicks something they can bank on. New York signed him to a new contract extension this summer, keeping him around for the foreseeable future and securing more bench production.
He was trusted in the NBA Finals, and Mike Brown leaned on him when the games mattered most. For a player in his first half-season with the Knicks, that says plenty.
As his role opens up, Alvarado has a chance to keep stacking useful minutes for a long time.
Mohamed Diawara is another player the Knicks seem to believe in. After taking him with the No. 51 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, he impressed as a rookie and landed a shiny new long-term contract.
His upside looks clear enough: he has the frame to become one of the better bench defenders in the league and the versatility to handle multiple positions. If the offense comes along and the three-point shot keeps improving, Diawara could become one of the most valuable depth pieces on the roster.
Tyler Nickel is more of a longer-term bet, but the tools are there. The Knicks drafted him in this year’s NBA Draft, though they have not officially signed him yet.
What he showed in Summer League was simple and useful - he looks like a real three-point shooter, and that kind of skill always has a place. If Nickel can hit shots in the NBA and hold his own defensively, he could help keep New York’s bench strong for years.
In Other News...
Andre Drummond Suddenly Carries A Bigger Knicks Responsibility
Andre Drummond arrives in New York with a familiar rsum and a new layer of pressure. The veteran big man has long built his value on rebounding, defense and the kind of physical presence that can change the tone of a game, and the Knicks are counting on those traits to help stabilize the frontcourt around Karl-Anthony Towns.
The timing matters because the opening in the rotation is bigger now, even if the exact job description is still taking shape. Drummond has produced career averages of 12.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, but the Knicks need to find out how much of that can still translate when the minutes and the responsibility both rise. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks May Have A Cheap Answer To Their Center Problem
With two roster spots still open and the search for frontcourt help dragging into free agency, the Knicks are still looking for a workable answer behind their centers. One name that has surfaced is Kelly Olynyk, the veteran big man who spent last season with the Spurs and could offer New York a steady presence, some size and the ability to soak up occasional minutes in the middle without forcing the club into a bigger swing.
Olynyks path is not entirely in New Yorks hands, though. He was recently in Paris working out with Victor Wembanyama and Spurs teammates, which suggests San Antonio has reasons to keep him around and leaves the Knicks waiting to see whether their target is actually available or whether they will need to keep searching for a cheap fix at a position that has been hard to solve. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Face A Delicate Roster Decision Before Camp Opens
With training camp approaching, the Knicks are still sorting through the edges of a roster that already has plenty of size in the middle. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond give New York a clear baseline at center, but the front office is still weighing how to use its final standard roster spots, and veteran big man Tony Bradley is among the free-agent names being considered, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
There is also some longer-term business to manage before camp opens. The Knicks have been in regular communication with Miles McBrides representatives about a possible contract extension, but salary-cap pressure has made a resolution uncertain, adding another layer of delicacy to a preseason stretch that already has the roster squeezed in a few different places. [Read more 🡒]