Knicks Notes: How will final roster spot shake out between Landry Sham
Mike Brown on Monday said the Knicks are facing an ‘extremely tough’ decision at the end of their roster. They have three veteran contributors vying for one open roster spot.
Here are few things to know about the extremely tough decision facing the Knicks:
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VETS BATTLE
Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon, and Garrison Mathews are currently battling for one available roster spot. The Knicks have *14 players on standard deals. They can carry a maximum of 15 players on standard contracts. So they have enough room on the roster to keep one of the three veterans.
Also, due to CBA rules, the Knicks’ team salary cannot exceed $207.8 million. The Knicks only have enough money to keep one of Shamet, Brogdon or Matthews.
In order to keep two of the three veterans, the Knicks would need to trade one of their players currently signed to a traditional contract.
WHAT ABOUT THE TRADE
If the Knicks want to keep two of those three, trades involving Miles McBride, Pacome Dadiet, or Tyler Kolek are the most direct paths to do so.
If the Knicks traded one of those three players to a team with cap space (Utah, Brooklyn), the club would have enough room under the second apron to keep two of Shamet, Brogdon, and Mathews.
Before these players agreed to join the Knicks, the club told agents that there would be a true competition for the one open roster spot.
“That’s what they said,” Mathews said on Monday night. “It’s a tough roster; let’s see what happens.”
The Knicks also want to compete for an NBA championship this season. So every roster spot – and the decisions made around those spots – is crucial. Does New York value veterans over one of their young players like Dadiet (drafted with the 25th pick in 2024 NBA Draft) or Kolek (selected with the 34th overall pick in 2024)? If so, they will probably trade one of them to make room for two of Shamet, Brogdon or Mathews.
As noted Monday, the Knicks have had dialogue with opposing teams as this decision approaches.
New York would…
