There were a lot of rumblings about how the Knicks would handle the last few spots on their roster. It seems inevitable that Mohamed Diawara, the No. 51 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is due to sign a standard deal to fill one spot, but the team still had just enough room to sign one player to a veteran minimum, or even sign two players and make a trade.
The competition seemed to include incumbent Landry Shamet, sharpshooting wing Garrison Matthews, Alex Len, and former Sixth Man Of The Year Malcolm
Brogdon. The Knicks were keen on keeping two of these vets, so trade rumors circulated over the likes of Tyler Kolek, Pačome Dadiet, and even Deuce McBride.
Ultimately, the big decision was made several days before the Knicks had to decide on Saturday, but it was made by one of the players themselves. On Wednesday, Malcolm Brogdon announced his retirement from the game of basketball.
It’s admirable to step away from the game at this point for Brogdon, whose story is a great one from when he was drafted in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016. Too many players go out when their bodies fail them, or the league no longer sees a use for them. However, Brogdon decided to end it on his own terms despite a very good chance to crack the Knicks’ rotation.
Brogdon was selected No. 36 overall out of Virginia, where he was a two-time All-American in five seasons, but was entering the NBA as one of the oldest rookies in basketball, turning 24 in December of his rookie year. In a weak rookie class that saw Ben Simmons miss the entire season due to injury and saw many young players undergo growing pains, Brogdon became the first second-round pick ever to win Rookie of the Year, beating out Dario Saric and Joel Embiid, who played 31 games in his “rookie” year after missing two seasons with a foot injury.
He continued to get better throughout his three seasons as a Buck, becoming a full-time starter alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo by the 2018-19 season and averaging 15.6 points and 3.2 assists on an elite 61.4 TS% despite some occasional injuries. His second-round contract expired after that season and he inked a four-year, $85 million deal with the Indiana Pacers as part of a sign-and-trade.
He further advanced his game in Indiana, averaging 18.9 points a night over 146 games across three seasons. He was limited to just 36 games in 2021-22, and with his injuries beginning to become a trend, the Pacers sold low by shipping him to the Boston Celtics for five players and a first-round pick. The five players were mostly cap filler, but the Pacers did acquire future Knicks’ tormentor Aaron Nesmith in this deal.
His lone year in Boston was great. In 67 games as the team’s sixth man, he averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, shooting a career-high 44.4% from deep and capturing Sixth Man of the Year in controversial fashion over our very own Immanuel Quickley. Brogdon was shipped out to the Portland Trail Blazers in the offseason in the deal that sent Jrue Holiday to Boston.
The last two years have been rough for Brogdon, playing a combined 64 games with the Blazers and Washington Wizards on non-competitive teams. His efficiency regressed and he turned in the worst year of his career (adjusting for usage) in 2024-25, but it was fair to assume that he just needed a rejuvenation from the gutters in Washington.
On September 15, the Knicks inked Brogdon to a non-guaranteed deal to compete for that last roster spot in a surprising move that thrilled the fanbase. Without a true bench ballhandler, Brogdon seemed like an obvious fit. Unfortunately, he looked a tad off at times and was generally unimpressive in the preseason, scoring 17 points with 8 assists and 9 rebounds in four games. He was a positive in the first three, posting a plus-19, but struggled with efficiency (5-17 FG, 2-8 3pt), and was a dreadful minus-30 in 18 minutes against the Wizards on Monday.
For the Knicks, this likely brings the roster battle down to Shamet and Matthews, but it’s fair to wonder if the team feels the need to keep both. Both players are sharpshooting wings that do a lot of the same things, and keeping both would be redundant, especially at the expense of a young, promising wing in Dadiet and a floor general in Kolek (who might be the second-best ballhandler on the roster!). Not to mention that McBride should not be dangled in any trade talks.
Ultimately, how many second-rounders can ask for a better career than this? He played 463 games across nine seasons, started 296 of them, played on five different playoff teams and 43 total games, and averaged 15.3 points a night for his career. Not to mention, he’ll always have the 2016-17 Rookie of the Year and 2022-23 Sixth Man of the Year awards on his mantle.
Congratulations on your retirement, Malcolm!
