NEW YORK — Knicks roster decisions have crystallized now that preseason is over, even if a minor footnote like Drew Eubanks getting waived tidied up the paperwork. Truth be told, Eubanks was always on the periphery, and his departure simply cleared the runway for James Wiseman to stake a permanent claim on the backup center rotation. Wiseman has flashed enough verticality during exhibition reps to make you buy stock in his resurgence, leaving the front office with a very fun problem to solve.
How Knicks roster decisions hit a hard cap roadblock
The real plot twist arrived when you check the ledger and see Bruce Brown grinding away on a camp invite right alongside Wiseman. Leon Rose and the front office built a championship-winning team around Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, but they are pressed right against the second apron and James Dolan doesn’t want New York to cross it. Managing these delicate Knicks roster decisions has therefore become an exercise in threading the needle because handing out vet minimum deals to both guys without shedding salary first would make New York cross into the dreaded second apron.
Why upcoming Knicks roster decisions demand a trade
Wiseman looks locked in to grab that final big man spot with his rim running exploits, while Brown brings the kind of playoff tested grit every contender covets. Sorting out these final Knicks roster decisions means somebody currently on the guaranteed roster has to pack their bags in a salary clearing trade before opening night. That probably leaves Pacome Dadiet as the odd man out as he’s been linked with a trade for months. Once the front office pulls off the necessary cap gymnastics to finalize these Knicks roster decisions, New York enters the season with a really deep squad.
Find me on X: @f_rederic_k
