Early predictions, media days, and roster adjustments are all signals that the 2026-27 NBA season is right around the corner.
For the defending champion New York Knicks, training camp will provide an opportunity to figure out what works to address the roster’s depth. These next two to three weeks will serve as the foundation for the regular season.
Staying Under the Second Apron
The NBPA introduced stricter financial boundaries in 2023, called “aprons.” These rules have made it more difficult to retain the same roster year after year. But the rules also allow for an equal competitive playing field across the league. Although the defending champs made the necessary additions to their depth over the years, they can’t keep them forever.
Knicks owner James Dolan has expressed the importance of staying below the NBA’s constricting financial threshold.
“I’ll write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron,” Dolan said.
Fans are pleased to know that most of the key rotation players re-signed over the summer. Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado, and Jordan Clarkson all remained. The issue lies at the center position, as the Knicks lost backup centers Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti. Their value makes replacing their production without significantly increasing the payroll difficult.
The promising 21-year-old forward from France, Mohamed Diawara, showed flashes of being a reliable two-way player. At 6-foot-9, Diawara shot nearly 37 percent from three and averaged 3.6 points in nine minutes a game. Versatile big wings are highly sought after, and the front office knows what he brings to the table. The Knicks signed Diawara to a four-year, $11.2 million contract, securing his talent for years to come.
New York native and veteran center Andre Drummond also signed a one-year $3.9 million contract. Despite questions on whether the signing will fill the Robinson-sized gap in the roster, it was good value. Drummond continues to provide impressive rebounding and physicality on the floor for any team.
What and Who The Knicks Need
The Knicks have room to sign one more player before exceeding the salary cap. New York signed five NBA players to non-guaranteed training camp deals. The demand around the league for sporting blue and orange is the highest it has ever been.
Solid role players such as Bruce Brown, John Konchar, and Drew Eubanks will battle for the last remaining contract. They all have skill sets that head coach Mike Brown needs to add to the Knicks’ elite offense.
The options are truly endless for Coach Brown, as former second overall pick James Wiseman and 26-year-old Ochai Agbaji are also contending.
Playstyle and fit are central when considering who will make it out of the other end. A veteran like Brown has been battle-tested, having won the chip in 2023 with the Denver Nuggets. His ability to be a versatile scorer who can play the guard or forward position and defend the perimeter is valuable.
On the opposite end, Konchar is a solid low-usage, high-efficiency player. He stands at 6-foot-5, yet he plays like a big. Konchar plays off the glass and uses his high defensive IQ to play off-ball and help defense. He could provide that much-needed defensive spark off the bench, despite his streaky shooting history.
The most troubling hole in the Knicks’ roster is still the five spot. Eubanks holds the advantage over all other players competing against him because of his size. His ability to roll to the basket after setting a pick is fantastic. Smaller guards like Jalen Brunson and Alvarado can play off his physicality to get open or have the option to get it to Eubanks down low.
Wiseman offers size as well, but his career in the league was derailed by a series of injuries. Similarly, Agbaji is a lottery pick fighting to land a permanent spot on an NBA roster. This is due to his many offensive deficiencies as a guard. Based on their history, these two have the most difficult path ahead.
What Difference Will One Player Make?
The player who will lay claim to this final spot will matter more than people think. Shamet came out of the same situation last year and became a key factor in the Knicks’ playoff run. Without that training camp, the Knicks wouldn’t have a highly skilled spot-up shooter who shot nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc in the postseason.
An emerging player from this camp has the opportunity to replicate what Shamet did this year. The impact of a spark off the bench can be make-or-break. A gritty, get-to-it kind of player can make all the difference in a series. Other champions like the Oklahoma City Thunder have proved to everyone that depth makes all the difference.
New York will be putting these players under a microscope, analyzing every detail of their game. The hope is to do what no one has done in the parity era of the NBA: go back-to-back. The Knicks know the Eastern Conference has gotten stronger, so they will need all the depth they can get to return to the promised land.
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