The Knicks may not have completely sorted out their roster picture, but the preseason is already trimming the field. With two games down and one in Minnesota on deck, New York appears to have a pretty clear idea of who is still in the running for the final spot - or possibly two, if a trade creates room, a scenario that feels more realistic with the owner unwilling to go into the second apron.
That puts pressure on the players still trying to break through, because this next game may be their last real audition. And the early pecking order has started to come into focus.
The veterans sitting near the bottom of the board are Ochai Agbaji, Drew Eubanks and Tony Bradley. All three entered camp with more NBA mileage than most of the other candidates, which could have suggested the staff already knew what they were getting from them. But their preseason usage points to something a little sharper than that.
None of the three played in Thursday’s game against Washington. In the preseason opener in Philadelphia, they combined for 20 minutes and managed just two points and two rebounds.
This time of year, raw numbers don’t tell the whole story. But when a quiet debut is followed by a DNP, the margin for error gets awfully narrow.
Agbaji’s path is the easiest one to sketch. He fits the 3-and-D mold, but his career three-point numbers have been all over the place: 29%, 40% and 27% over the last three seasons. The Knicks want to play five-out as often as possible, and that makes shooting feel less like a bonus and more like a requirement.
If Agbaji were on the floor with Andre Drummond, the spacing would collapse fast. Defenses would happily sag off those two and challenge the other three Knicks to make them pay.
So if Agbaji is going to stick, it has to be because he starts knocking down threes. So far, that hasn’t happened.
Eubanks and Bradley are different cases, but the same basic problem applies. They’re functional backup bigs, nothing more and nothing less.
They don’t really raise the ceiling, and they don’t exactly lift the floor, either. That may be enough reason for them to fall short.
Any third center in New York has to live in the shadow of two unusual standards at the position: one of the league’s all-time scorers and shooters, and one of the great rebounders ever.
The Knicks have always surrounded their guards and forwards with a center who brings something distinctly valuable. Eubanks and Bradley are the sort of players you notice only briefly.
They’re fine. They’re just not memorable.
James Wiseman, on the other hand, is younger than both and still carries the pull of what he might become. New York may not want its third center to feel interchangeable.
And with Andre Drummond clearly a step down from Mitchell Robinson, there’s at least a chance the Knicks think Wiseman’s upside gives them more at the position than they had a year ago. Even so, he probably only gets in if a trade opens another roster slot.
This doesn’t feel like a case of a veteran separating himself from the pack.
Wiseman and Jaden Akins are two of only three newcomers who have appeared in both preseason games. Wiseman has done enough to stand out on the glass and on the scoreboard, putting up 12 points on 72% shooting and six rebounds in 18 minutes.
He also has a built-in connection to Mike Brown from their time in Golden State, and simply being in the rotation suggests there’s more there than a passing familiarity. His best extended NBA stretch also came in Detroit, where he worked with current Knicks big man coach Mark Bryant.
Akins has probably been the surprise of the group. He went undrafted out of Michigan State in 2025 and hasn’t played in the NBA yet, though he did spend time with Orlando and Detroit. Through two preseason games, he has shot the ball well in 14 total minutes and shown he can help as both a distributor and a defender.
Even if the odds are long for him to make the defending champs’ roster, he’s put himself on the radar. If other teams have been paying attention, somebody could at least give him a look with a G League team.
Bruce Brown sits in a different tier entirely. His case comes with championship credibility - he was third in minutes for the 2023 title-winning Nuggets.
He also gives the Knicks something practical: real lineup flexibility. Over the course of his career, he has spent nearly 20% of his minutes at point guard, almost 30% at small forward, and the rest at shooting guard.
That means he can work alongside or behind Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson.
There’s also a familiarity angle. Brown spent time in New Orleans two years ago, when Ed Flynn was the Pelicans’ video coordinator.
The Knicks recently brought Flynn in as their new video replay challenge guy. As with Wiseman, knowing the people around you doesn’t hurt.
Brown may be the cleanest fit when you start projecting who stays and who could be moved. The roster math points toward New York possibly shipping out a guard or wing to open room for a big.
That leaves Miles McBride, Pacome Dadiet and Mo Diawara as the main names at the front of the line. Dadiet doesn’t really register as a roster factor here.
McBride and Diawara each bring something, but Brown could cover for either departure because of his versatility. If the Knicks want to play bigger, he can function as a point guard.
If they want to go small, he can slide to forward. And with Josh Hart dealing with a deformed finger on his shooting hand for the rest of his career, Brown also serves as important insurance if Hart misses time.
There’s still a chance for the hopefuls to change the story, but the window is closing quickly. If they don’t do it tonight, they may not get another shot to make a late push with the defending champs.
And whoever survives this process could end up playing a much larger role than expected. The roster spots may look small now, but the stage they lead to is not.
Remember, last year in San Antonio, Jeremy Sochan was on the floor for the final defensive possession after finishing 17th on the team in regular-season minutes. The Knicks’ last keepers better be ready when their moment comes.
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The Knicks now have to weigh the value of keeping a trusted contributor against the reality of McBrides contract situation and what comes next. With rival clubs viewing him as a likely in-season trade candidate, New York is facing the kind of deadline decision that can quietly shape a roster well beyond February, especially with free agency looming next summer. [Read more 🡒]