The New York Knicks have reached the final stage of their roster-building process with just one tiny, little, pending, puzzle to solve: would they keep two veterans and trade a youngster, or let one of those veterans go and keep their homegrown talents?
According to The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III, there is no question mark floating above the Knicks’ front office anymore: two of Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon, and Garrison Matthews —all of whom currently are operating under non-guaranteed contracts
— will join the final roster, thus forcing New York to move a player among those who repped the Orange and Blue threads last season.
“Per league sources, New York is leaning toward keeping two of the aforementioned vets, with Shamet and Brogdon leading the way. In order to keep two veterans, though, the Knicks must make a trade.” — James L. Edwards III
Shamet is coming off setting rims on fire at a 39.7% clip from 3-point range last year, and Brogdon was the Sixth Man of the Year two seasons ago. As Edwards put it, any of them simply fit the Knicks’ “championship timeline” better than, say, your Pacome Dadiets.
Brogdon’s injury history, however, remains a concern. On the other hand, he’s called “The President” for a reason and will surely provide help in stabilizing the backcourt as part of the second unit.
To create roster space, attention has shifted to the young players who could be moved. Edwards discussed a few options the Knicks will consider trading, some of them already being placed in trade talks per report.
“Per multiple league sources, the Knicks have had conversations with teams about Dadiet. The 20-year-old Frenchman is New York’s most intriguing prospect.
“For what it’s worth, I’ve also heard Dadiet has had a good summer behind the scenes and has made it harder for New York to potentially trade him.
“If New York were going to move on from one of its youngsters, Dadiet would be the most likely to get a worthwhile return (I can’t imagine it would be for more than a second-round pick or two).” — James L. Edwards III
The Knicks’ other developmental pieces appear less likely to bring back value, those being point guard Tyler Kolek (“In talking to some teams around the league, I’m not sure there is much, if any, value there at this point”) and big man Ariel Hukporti (“In talking to some teams around the NBA, there just doesn’t appear to be much, if any, trade value there right now.”)
Finally, Edwards included fan-favorite Miles McBride among the candidates for a potential trade, although seemingly just to throw a more established name out there.
“Before I get started, I don’t think New York will move McBride. I’m just making the rounds on the bench players and looking at the likelihood of a trade. Not including Mitchell Robinson or Josh Hart, whoever ends up being the starter between those two, McBride is New York’s best bench player.
“My guess is New York won’t worry about McBride and his next deal until after this season, which is why I wouldn’t put my money on him being dealt this season. But never say never. It would surprise, but not shock.
“The Knicks are trying to win a championship. Trading McBride to open up a roster spot for Shamet and Brogdon seems counterintuitive to that objective.” — James L. Edwards III
According to HoopsRumors, the deadline for non-guaranteed players’ contracts to be waived without counting against the franchise’s cap is set on Oct. 18.
The regular-season roster must be submitted two days later, on Oct. 20, and teams will be limited to have 15 players on standard deals with three on two-way contracts.
The Knicks’ season-opening game is scheduled for Oct. 22 against Cleveland.
Who do you think will make the cut, and who will be sent packing to another town by the time the season tips off in late October? Let us know in the comments section below!
