Knicks Mailbag: Is trade coming to make room for both Landry Shamet an

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It's another edition of Knicks' Mailbag with SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley ready to answer your questions surrounding the team. Let's get started…

Am I correct in thinking that trading just Kolek would not open enough enough salary cap space to sign both Shamet and Brogdon? It would have to be a trade for either Pacome or Deuce, right? – @_leeescobedo 

Thanks for the question, Lee. Some background first: the Knicks have signed Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet to nonguaranteed contracts ahead of training camp. If they want to keep both players on the regular season roster, they will have to trade one of their players signed to a traditional NBA deal. They need to do this because their team salary cannot exceed the second apron this season. There are many different trade routes the Knicks can take to keep both Brogdon and Shamet. 

A trade of either Pacôme Dadiet or Miles McBride would clear enough cap space to sign both veterans. The Knicks can also trade Tyler Kolek and have enough space under the second apron to sign both Brogdon and Shamet. But, to Lee’s point, trading Kolek and signing both vets would leave New York just $44,000 under the second apron. Unless they made another trade, in this scenario, the Knicks wouldn’t be able to sign another veteran on a pro-rated contract during the season. New York used this approach last season when signing veteran P.J. Tucker in March. Cap expert Yossi Gozlan expertly explained these trade scenarios in his Third Apron Substack.

I don’t think the Knicks will make a trade ahead of training camp. I’d expect them to let things play out during camp/preseason before they made a move to keep both Brogdon and Shamet. But if I’m betting today, I’m betting that both Brodgon and Shamet are on the regular season roster. This Knicks team is in win-now mode, and injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton give them a direct pathway to the NBA Finals. Veterans like Brogdon and Shamet are preferred options for a win-now…

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