What I’m hearing ahead of Knicks preseason: Jalen Brunson, KAT, roster battles and more
James L. Edwards IIIFor the first time in 53 years, the New York Knicks will enter an NBA season as the hunted.
The defending champions will begin training camp next week, marking the unofficial return of NBA basketball. The Knicks bring back much of the same roster from a season ago, but the franchise still has curiosities worth monitoring leading up to its Oct. 20 opener against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Below is the preseason preview for New York, taking a look at the roster, storylines to watch for and more.
New York Knicks 2026-27 preseason roster
PG SG SF PF C
Jalen Brunson Mikal Bridges OG Anunoby Josh Hart Karl-Anthony Towns
Jose Alvarado Miles McBride Landry Shamet Mohamed Diawara Andre Drummond
Tyler Kolek Jordan Clarkson Pacôme Dadiet Drew Eubanks
Bruce Brown John Konchar James Wiseman
Ochai Agbaji
The Knicks are expected to go into training camp with 19 players worth keeping an eye on.
An interesting roster wrinkle: A week before the start of training camp, the aforementioned Nickel’s status is still unclear. Taken 47th in the June draft from Vanderbilt, Nickel was one of the college players granted a fifth year of eligibility by a federal court ruling last month. From everything I’ve heard from talking to people throughout the league, Nickel and the Knicks are expected to reach some kind of contract agreement. The caveat, though, is that Nickel could receive more money in NIL than being on a two-way contract with New York, and I heard earlier this offseason that Nickel was, at some point, considering a return to college.
Could the Knicks be trying to make a trade to open up a roster spot to give Nickel a standard deal? The way this situation has played out, it sort of feels that way.
That takes me to the next section.
Key storylines
Do the Knicks make a trade before the start of the season?
I find it interesting that New York brought several veteran guards into training camp despite being pretty solidified on the wings (more on this in a second). Bruce Brown, John Konchar and Ochai Agbaji signed training camp deals and, along with the veteran centers brought in, will fight for a roster spot. The Knicks will add one more player to a standard deal before the season as they continue to avoid the second apron.
Bringing in centers James Wiseman and Drew Eubanks makes sense for New York. After the Knicks let Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti walk in free agency, the only centers on standard contracts are Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond, the latter who was signed this summer. The Knicks need center insurance, and it would be a shock if they didn’t add another via free agency or trade before the season starts.
If all signs point to New York adding a center, then why the plethora of veteran guards in camp? The team brought back Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson this summer. It has both wing and guard depth. I think one of two things is happening …
First, the Knicks don’t plan on playing their starters or Shamet and Miles McBride much this preseason, so they need extra bodies. They’re giving veterans who weren’t getting much traction in the open market this summer a runway to significant preseason minutes and the visibility to potentially go elsewhere. New York’s relationship with the agency CAA is well documented. Brown is a CAA client, so that connection makes sense. Agbaji is represented by Alex Saratsis — the agent of Giannis Antetokounmpo — who also has longtime connections with the Knicks. Konchar is represented by George S. Langberg, who also represents Shamet. In short, New York has strong relationships with the agents for all the guards brought in.
Second, I think the Knicks could make a trade sooner rather than later in order to add a center, make room for one of the guards brought into camp and/or get Nickel on a standard contract. Logic dictates that McBride and Pacôme Dadiet could be the ones traded if New York takes this route, though I’d be a bit surprised if McBride is moved before the season starts. Moving Dadiet and a second-round pick or two could be the easiest solution for New York to open up another roster spot. McBride is on an expiring contract and is due for a significant raise, one that the Knicks can’t afford if they’re obligated by owner James Dolan to avoid the second apron. McBride improves New York’s chances of repeating more than anyone it could bring in if he were to leave, but this is a business, and the Knicks can’t afford to not get anything for both McBride and Robinson.
As for Dadiet, he’s still young, but he hasn’t shown consistent flashes when given opportunities, whether in the G League, summer league or limited NBA games. If needed briefly, one of the veteran guards or, potentially, even Nickel could help New York more than Dadiet at this point, even if the latter has more upside.
The possibility of a trade is the most interesting storyline going into the Knicks’ preseason.
Of the new guards, who feels like the favorite to make the roster?
If the Knicks keep one of Brown, Agbaji or Konchar, Brown feels like the player who could most swing a game if needed in a pinch.
Throughout his eight-year NBA career, Brown has played point guard, shooting guard and even center. He came into the NBA playing point guard with the Detroit Pistons and defending the opposition’s best offensive guard. He was used in a small-ball center role with the Brooklyn Nets and was impactful during the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving-James Harden era. He was a great complementary wing connector with the Denver Nuggets during their title run in 2023. Brown’s positional versatility could be useful for New York. He is a streaky 3-point shooter, but he can make the open shots, even if he’s been more hesitant to let it fly the last few years.
Konchar is a hustle player who rebounds well for his size. However, he doesn’t like to shoot the ball. He’d be a safe choice but has little upside. Agbaji would bring a jolt of athleticism to the roster, as well as some wing defense depth, but that’s about where the intrigue stops.
Is Jalen Brunson’s wrist OK?
We’ll learn more about this next week, but between the championship celebrations, the obligations that come with being the face of a champion and wrist surgery, Brunson’s offseason has been disjointed, to say the least.
The wrist is the focus now, as Brunson underwent surgery on his shooting hand in early July. He spent much of his offseason with a cast/brace but is expected to be a full-go participant once training camp starts. He obviously couldn’t do normal shooting, dribbling and weight training this summer, so I’d imagine the Knicks will be cautious with him this preseason, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Captain Clutch doesn’t find his rhythm until after the regular season begins.
Karl-Anthony Towns apparently lost weight. How does slim KAT look?
I’m sure you’ve all seen the photos, but if not, Towns appears to have slimmed down this summer. Will that benefit the 30-year-old big man who has a contract extension still up in the air? We’ll see soon.
On one hand, a more nimble Towns could be even more dangerous as a perimeter threat. We know what he can do as a shooter, but if the weight loss allows him to gain some more burst as a driver, that could be majorly beneficial for both him and the Knicks. Defensively, it could help him defend in space more consistently. On the other hand, Towns’ post-up play could take a hit. Teams already deploy strong guards and wings on him, and he has had difficulty over the years dominating those matchups.
Can one of Tyler Kolek or Mohamed Diawara prove worthy of rotation minutes?
The Knicks didn’t show great faith in Kolek, who is entering his third year, when they traded for Alvarado before the NBA’s trade deadline. They doubled down on that this summer by giving Alvarado an extension. Kolek, a pass-first point guard with a developing 3-point shot, has a $2.4 million team option for next season. While that is a small number, the looming extensions of Towns, Josh Hart, Brunson and whatever happens with McBride — as well as New York not wanting to go into the second apron — could impact Kolek’s future.
Kolek has some fans around the NBA, and while I don’t necessarily see him being traded this season, it wouldn’t surprise me, either. It’s hard to see how he goes into the season as part of Mike Brown’s rotation. However, if he improves as a shooter and defender, in addition to improving his passing, maybe the Knicks are more inclined to work him into the picture.
Diawara has the most upside of New York’s young players. The second-year forward was a rotation fixture for a decent stretch last season. Diawara projects as a 3-and-D wing (he’s also shown good passing chops) who benefits greatly from playing alongside other good players. Given his size, with the Knicks possibly wanting to preserve the likes of Hart and OG Anunoby during the season and the importance of having someone on a small contract who could eventually become a regular contributor, Diawara makes the most sense among the young players to crack the rotation.
Diawara had an underwhelming summer league as the focal point for New York’s offense before a finger injury sidelined him for the final few games. What that told me, though, is Diawara is at his best when surrounded by good players, which is totally fine for a second-round pick who is 21 years old.
9/21/2026 7:14 PM
