When Victor Wembanyama went out last season with a blood clot in his shoulder, the San Antonio Spurs turned to Bismack Biyombo. They signed the veteran big man and he played in 28 games for them, starting 26, giving them 5.1 points and 5.6 rebounds a game.
Biyombo, entering his 15th NBA season, is an insurance plan for the Spurs. Wembanyama will start at center and seems poised for another huge leap entering his third season (which should scare the league). Behind him, the Spurs added Luke Kornet for depth. Biyombo slots in behind them at the five, he's not going to see a lot of run, but it's smart to have the veteran in house.
This is likely a fully guaranteed contract at the veteran minimum. That brings the Spurs up to a full roster of 15 heading into training camp, although Lindy Waters III is only partially guaranteed.
Jonathan Kuminga wants to be somewhere he is given a legitimate chance to shine. Right now he's a power forward on a team that already has Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler, a team coached by Steve Kerr, who has never fully trusted him. The Golden State Warriors want a Kuminga contract that is primarily a trade chip, with a team option on the final season. Kuminga doesn't want to have his fate in the hands of a fickle trade market.
Which is why there remains a stalemate on a new Kuminga contract despite the Warriors increasing their offer to three years, $75.2 million, with a team option on the final year, reports Shams Charania and Anthony Slater at ESPN. That team option makes this a much more tradable contract. Even though the new offer would guarantee $48.3 million for Kuminga over the next two years — literally doubling how much money he has made in the NBA over his first four years — what Kuminga wants most is an opportunity. Something he has felt he never really got a fair chance at under Kerr. That's why one of Kuminga's counteroffers was the same contract, but with a player option in the final year.
All that boiled over and led to this exchange between Kuminga and Warriors owner Joe Lacob, ESPN reports.
But there was an underlying question from the Lacob side that felt most pressing. "Do you want to be here?"...
So Kuminga turned the question back on Lacob and the Warriors. "Do you even want me here?"
What Kuminga's camp wanted was a sign-and-trade this summer, but the offers that came in were not enough for Golden State. For example, Sacramento reportedly offered Dario Saric, Devin Carter and a lottery-protected first-round pick (some rumors suggest Malik Monk was the player to go with the pick). Phoenix made an offer as well that didn't include a first-rounder. What Kuminga liked about both of those situations was less about the money — which was close per year to what the Warriors just offered — and more that it was a three- or four-year contract with a player option, and both teams were going to make him their starting four.
Kuminga's leverage in negotiations with the Warriors is that he could follow the route Cam Thomas took in Brooklyn, sign the one-year qualifying offer at $7.8 million, which gives him a no trade clause for this season (which he could waive for the right deal) and would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer when half-a-dozen teams or more will have cap space to sign free agents. Kuminga's agent reportedly made a "souped-up" qualifying offer proposal, where Kuminga gets more than the $8 million but on a very tradable one-year contract. The Warriors don't like that because of the risk he could walk away at the end of the season for nothing if no trade is found.
Kuminga, 22, averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 47 games last season (he missed time with an ankle injury).
The Warriors remain in a holding pattern while the Kuminga situation plays out. Golden State has agreements in place to sign Al Horford at the taxpayer mid-level exception, then sign some combination of De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and Seth Curry at the veteran minimum. To do that, the Warriors (hard-capped at the second apron) can't offer Kuminga more than $22.5 million for the first year of his contract. At that price, he's not going to accept the team option on the final season.
So the Warriors remain stuck, trying to work out something with Kuminga before the Oct. 1 deadline when he would just take the qualifying offer.
The Warriors had an opportunity to trade one of their young players for a proven, sharpshooting wing this offseason, but opted not to.
Golden State, while fielding sign-and-trade offers for restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga this summer, rejected an offer from the Phoenix Suns that included veteran forward Royce O’Neale and second-round compensation, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported in a story on Monday, citing sources.
The Warriors reportedly also turned down an offer from the Sacramento Kings that included guard Malik Monk and a future first-round pick.
The 32-year-old O’Neale, who signed with the Utah Jazz as an undrafted free agent in 2017 after playing two years overseas, spent five seasons in Utah before he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 and later the Suns in Feb. 2024.
In eight seasons, O’Neale has averaged 7.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game on 42.6-percent shooting from the field and an impressive 38.5 percent from 3-point range in 26.2 minutes per game.
While Kuminga’s ceiling — and potentially his current floor — undoubtedly is higher than O’Neale’s, the veteran forward could have provided Golden State a reliable sharpshooter and defender off the bench had the Warriors accepted the Suns’ offer.
Instead, Golden State since has halted all sign-and-trade discussions with interested teams, and it appears the Warriors and Kuminga ultimately will have to settle for a temporary solution that keeps the young forward under contract at least for the 2025-26 NBA season.
“Kuminga’s personal relationship with [Warriors coach Steve] Kerr isn’t a problem,” Charania and Slater wrote. “The messaging from Kerr and the Warriors is that Kuminga would have a substantial role to open next season, per sources. They could use his youth and scoring on the wing.
“But in negotiations, Kuminga’s side has regularly referred to some postseason comments where Kerr highlighted the difficulty of fitting Kuminga next to Curry, Butler and Green for heavy minutes and expecting to win at the highest level. It’s proof to them that the basketball fit is less than ideal for the trajectory of Kuminga’s career.”
Which is why, according to ESPN, Kuminga and his agent, Aaron Turner, have voiced to the Warriors throughout the offseason that they should ‘sell the contract, not the basketball,’ seemingly indicating that the overall financial commitment the team makes will be more of a needle-mover than whatever role the team promises him.
Other teams interested in Kuminga, like the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, not only reportedly have offered Kuminga more money — three years, $63-66 million and four years, $80-88 million, respectively — but according to ESPN, also have attached player options to their offers and pitched Kuminga on their starting power forward positions.
The Warriors don’t appear to be offering as much money or as secure of a role.
Shortly after the Boston Celtics’ season ended with a disappointing second-round exit at the hands of the New York Knicks, Jaylen Brown sat at a podium inside Madison Square Garden trying to process what went wrong and what comes next.
“I know Boston looks gloomy right now,” Brown said while pointing to Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury and the disappointing finish to a championship-or-bust campaign. “But there’s a lot to look forward to. I want the city to feel excited about that. This is not the end, and I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
So, what is next for Brown and the Celtics?
For Week 3 of our Ramp to Camp series, we asked our panel to pick one thing they want to see from key members of the 2025-26 Celtics squad. And, for Day 11, that spotlight lands on Brown.
Our question was intentionally vague. Panelists could pick any sort of benchmark for what would constitute progress from Brown during the new campaign.
For us, it’s simple: Consistency as the undisputed top option while Tatum is rehabbing. The Celtics need Brown to bring high-level, two-way impact on a night-to-night basis if they want to truly compete with a roster that has felt the talent squeeze of the second apron.
Brown produced two of his best playoff games on nights when the Celtics were without Tatum. Game 2 against Orlando (36 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) and Game 5 against New York (26 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists) against New York were proof that Brown can shoulder the 1A load when asked.
But now he’s going to be tasked with that indefinitely. He has to bring it every single night without having the safety net of an All-Star sidekick. But Brown sounds invigorated by the challenge.
Can he summon the energy to be as impactful defensively, all while shouldering the brunt of the scoring burden on the opposite end? Can he tighten up his ball-handling as his usage rate rises and the Celtics run even more offense through him? Can Brown make his 3-point shot a more consistent weapon for a team that relies so heavily on that part of their offense?
Ultimately, the stat line doesn’t matter much to us. We feel pretty confident suggesting Brown will be somewhere in that 24-point, seven-rebound, five-assist output on a nightly basis. A return to the All-NBA squad is waiting if he does that over 65-plus games, and a lofty slot on that 15-man team is there if Brown’s rebound and assist numbers tick even higher while filling all the voids of the departed.
There simply can’t be pronounced dips in his production. Brown would be the first to note that his seven turnovers as Game 6 slipped away early against New York was far too many. Brown pulled his turnover rate down during the title season and must maximize possessions this season without Tatum on the court.
The opportunity for Brown to assert himself as one of the NBA’s elite is here for him. It’s a daunting challenge given the changes but one that he seemed ready to embrace from the very moment last season ended.
If Brown plays with consistent energy and impact, the Celtics are going to exceed most expectations for the 2025-26 season.
Let’s see what our panel came up with:
Darren Hartwell, Managing Editor
Improved playmaking. Brown averaged a career-high 4.5 assists per game last season, up nearly a full assist from 3.6 per game in 2023-24. But he’ll likely get the Tatum treatment this season with double-teams galore as Boston’s clear top offensive option.
How well Brown handles those double-teams — can he find the open man while limiting turnovers? — will go a long way toward the Celtics’ success this season.
Michael Hurley, Web Producer
I think he has to make an All-NBA Team. I’m sure people would love to see him make First Team, but considering he made the Second Team a couple of years ago, just being considered among the top 15 players in the league is a fair bar to a player of Brown’s stature to clear in a season when he’s going to have to be the man for his team.
Josh Canu, Media Editor
Consistent playmaking. We have seen some big games from Brown as a playmaker in flashes, but without Tatum, there is a lot of opportunity for him to create for his teammates this season.
He will likely see more double teams and different coverages and will need to be able to make the correct reads and rely on open teammates. I think he is up to the task.
Max Lederman, Content Producer
I want to see Brown continue to grow as a playmaker and floor raiser.
JB is coming off a season where he set new career highs in usage rate and assists per game, but the challenge will be much greater without Tatum sharing the load.
Adam Hart, EP, Content Strategy
I’d love for Brown’s desire to play aggressive offense — attacking the hoop and getting to the line consistently — to be infectious for this Celtics team.
It seems the Warriors are eager to put the Jonathan Kuminga saga to rest.
After months of negotiations without a deal, Golden State, late last week, upped its contract offer to the restricted free-agent forward to three years and $75.2 million with a team option for the third season, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported in a story on Monday, citing sources.
The Warriors, according to Charania and Slater, are requesting the same framework as their previous two-year, $45 million offer, with the team option and Kuminga waiving his inherent no-trade clause. Golden State’s unwillingness to budge on the team option in both of their offers, according to ESPN, is a major part of the holdup.
However, the Warriors also have offered Kuminga a three-year, $54 million fully guaranteed non-team-option deal as well, ESPN reported, citing sources.
Kuminga and his agent, Aaron Turner, according to ESPN, presented the Warriors with a counteroffer in the last week, which is a one-year deal on a negotiable number, which essentially is a “souped-up” version of the $7.9-million qualifying offer. This proposal would give Kuminga a financial bump for the 2025-26 NBA season while allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer and giving Golden State the opportunity to use his contract as an expiring deal at the trade deadline.
The Warriors, according to ESPN, declined the concept.
Kuminga was selected by Golden State with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and in four seasons with the Warriors, has averaged 12.5 points, 4 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 50.7-percent shooting from the field and 33.2 percent from 3-point range in 22 minutes per game while struggling to maintain a consistent role in coach Steve Kerr’s rotations.
It appears increasingly likely he will remain with the team for his fifth NBA season, but in what capacity remains to be seen.
Smith, 27, appeared in 58 games with New York over three seasons, after arriving in the deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks in January 2019. New York eventually dealt the guard to the Detroit Pistons ahead of the 2021 trade deadline in a deal that brought Derrick Rose to the Garden.
After the Pistons, he signed with Portland and Charlotte before landing in Brooklyn. He last played in Spain, appearing with Real Madrid.
The well-traveled veteran's most recent NBA experience came during the 2023-24 campaign with the Nets. In 56 games (two starts), he averaged 6.6 points on 43.5 percent shooting with 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 18.9 minutes.
The ninth overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft out of N.C. State, the 6-foot-3 guard had his best year in Dallas when he was fifth in Rookie of the Year voting.
In 326 career games (152 starts), he averaged 9.7 points on 40.7 percent shooting (29.8 percent from three) with 4.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 23.3 minutes. He has never played in the playoffs.
Dennis Schroder has been in plenty of big moments before. He's played in NBA conference finals games with the Hawks and Lakers. He's played in the Olympics. He helped lift Germany to the last World Cup title.
With the EuroBasket championship in the balance, Schroder took over and scored the game's final six points, lifting Germany past Türkiye to the title.
"We never shy away from the big moments. ... Everybody is so confident," Schroder said postgame, via the Associated Press. "Just big-time plays from big-time character people."
Germany won the most recent World Cup behind the play of Schroder, and they finished fourth in the Paris Olympics. Germany is playing fantastic team basketball right now.
Schroder, who will suit up for Sacramento this season, finished this game with 16 points and 12 assists and was named EuroBasket MVP for his play. What makes Germany so formidable is their depth of talent: Orlando's Franz Wagner had 18 points with eight rebounds, his teammate Tristan Da Silva added 13, while former NBA player Isaac Bonga led the team with 20 points.
Türkiye was led by the Rockets' Alperen Sengun, who had 28 points in this game to cap off a breakout tournament. Former NBA players Cedi Osman (23 points) and Shane Larkin (13 points) had big roles for Türkiye as well.
Earlier in the day, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to spark Greece past Finland in the bronze medal game.
Antetokounmpo, Sengun, Schroder, Wagner and Slovenia's Luka Doncic were named to the All EuroBasket first team.
Fred VanVleet. Amen Thompson. Kevin Durant. Alperen Sengun.
Four of the starting five for the Houston Rockets are locked in, but coach Ime Udoka has a deep roster and can go a lot of other directions with that fifth spot — and it's something he could change game-to-game depending upon matchups. Udoka told Ben DuBose of RocketsWire that he wanted this to play out in training camp, then make his call (hat tip Hoops Rumors).
"It's to be determined. I do think Jabari (Smith Jr.) showed tremendous growth this offseason, and obviously he started the majority of his time here, before the injury. But we'll take a look at everything. We feel we have incredible depth this year and a lot of versatility, so we could go a number of different ways, as far as that. I think some of that will be proven in training camp."
Smith is the most logical person to be the fifth starter, giving the Rockets both size and shooting. Smith averaged 11.8 points and 6.7 rebounds a game, shooting 34.6% from beyond the arc, in 39 games as a starter last season. Then Smith fractured his hand, Thompson was moved into the starting lineup to replace him, and by the time Smith was healthy, there was no way Thompson was coming out of the starting lineup. That said, Smith thrived in a bench role averaging 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds a game in fewer minutes.
If he wants to go with size, Udoka could start Steven Adams at the five next to Sengun, they played well off each other last season. If Udoka wants a more traditional wing in that mix, Dorian Finney-Smith is a strong two-way player, plus there is Jeff Green on the roster.
This is what training camp is for — nobody goes in with all the answers, the best teams are open to possibilities. In the end, Smith likely gets the job, but there will be some interesting things to watch in Rockets training camp beyond Kevin Durant.
Much like we have started to see in the NBA, it's a changing of the guard in EuroBasket as a generation of stars still at their peak — Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Doncic (Slovenia) — could not lift their teams to the championship game. However, a younger generation of stars, leading deeper teams, will play for the title.
It will be Alperen Sengun and Türkiye against Franz Wagner and Germany for the EuroBasket crown, with the game on Sunday in Latvia. Here is everything you need to know about watching the game.
EuroBasket 2025 championship, Germany vs. Türkiye: How To Watch
Germany vs. Tyrkiye tips off Sunday, Sept. 14 at 2:00 PM ET (9:00 PM local time where the game is played in Riga, Latvia).
In the United States, games can be streamed on Courtside 1891, FIBA's official streaming platform. All EuroBasket games can also be viewed through DAZN on the Courtside app.
Alperen Sengun vs. Franz Wagner
While led by young NBA stars, Germany and Türkiye are playing for the EuroBasket crown because they are the best, deepest teams in the tournament. Both play strong defense, and both are 8-0, with Türkiye winning its games by an average of 19.5 points and Germany by 26.8.
That said, the stars have stood out. For Germany, Orlando's Franz Wagner has averaged a team-best 21.1 points per game plus 5.6 rebounds. He's been a force.
Wagner may not be Germany's best player in this tournament, however. Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder is averaging 20.9 points and 6.6 assists a game, running the offense like a seasoned veteran. There are a number of players on the German squad NBA fans will know, including Wagner's Orlando teammate Tristan Da Silva, as well as former NBA players Daniel Theis and Isaac Bonga.
Sengun clearly has been Türkiye's best player, averaging 20.8 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists a game — he has been at the heart of everything.
Alperen Sengun did a little bit of everything today!
15 PTS 12 REB 6 AST 2 STL@TBF is back in the EuroBasket Final for the first time in 24 years
Like Germany, Türkiye has several names NBA fans will know on the roster, including current 76ers big man Adem Bona as well as former NBA players Cedi Osman and Shane Larkin.
In a friendly before EuroBasket, Germany beat Türkiye by two points. In terms of common opponents at EuroBasket, there was just one: Germany beat Portugal by 27, while Türkiye beat them by 41.
The entire salary cap circumvention case against Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers rests on this premise: Kawhi Leonard had a "no-show" endorsement contract with Clippers' sponsor Aspiration. That endorsement paid him $48 million ($28 million in payments, $20 million in now worthless stock options) but there is no evidence he did any promotional work for the company (no appearances, no marketing, no posts on social media).
Andrei Cherny, the former CEO of Aspiration, released a statement pushing back on the idea that Leonard had a "no-show" contract — the endorsement contract listed things he had to do — and said there was never a discussion of the NBA salary cap during discussions of the contract. He added that the much-discussed "beliefs" clause in Leonard's contract — that he couldn't be forced to do anything he didn't believe in — is standard in celebrity contracts and does not apply to things like talking to the camera or posting on social media.
With the many "hot takes" in the past 10 days about the Clippers/Kawhi Leonard, it's been surprising (though maybe it shouldn't be) that until now no reporter has bothered to reach out to me for the facts about that contract. This is what I told the NY Times/Athletic today: pic.twitter.com/VuhlM02fCQ
Two things can be true. As Cherny noted, Leonard's endorsement contract had specific provisions he had to fulfill — one eight-hour "day of work," making five social media posts (including retweets) over the course of a year, and more.
Also true: There is no evidence he ever did any of that work. Yet the checks kept coming.
What the Clippers can argue — and what might give the other owners pause when it comes time to punish Los Angeles — is that it is not their job to police players' endorsement contracts. The Clippers can claim they were not in any way involved with what Leonard did or did not do with Aspiration. Both the other owners and the players' union are going to be hesitant to set a precedent where the team has to monitor endorsement deals.
Ballmer and the Clippers have vehemently denied any wrongdoing, with Ballmer saying he was "duped" by Aspiration and its founder, like many other investors. He and the Clippers have repeatedly said they had nothing to do with Leonard's endorsement deals.
Still, it's hard for the Clippers and Ballmer to pass the smell test considering the totality of the evidence, including investments with Aspiration. Ballmer made a personal $50 million investment in Aspiration in 2021, and months later Leonard had an endorsement contract with the company that ultimately was worth $48 million. In December 2022, after it became clear that Aspiration was failing, Clippers minority owner Dennis Wong made a $2 million investment in the company. Shortly thereafter, Leonard received a delayed $1.75 million endorsement contract check. In March of 2023, when things were bad at Aspiration and it was struggling to make payroll, Ballmer made another $10 million investment.
From Commissioner Adam Silver and the league's perspective, the bar is high to prove the Clippers tried to circumvent the cap. Silver said this week that the burden of proof is on the league — which has hired a law firm to do its investigation as a third, neutral party — and that he "would be reluctant to act if there was sort of a mere appearance of impropriety."
Expect the NBA's investigation to drag out into the NBA season, a cloud that will hang over the league even as play tips off.
Clippers' owner Steve Ballmer's defense in the Kawhi Leonard salary cap circumvention and “no show” endorsement scandal has been "plausible deniability." Ballmer said he was “duped” like other investors when he put $50 million into the green bank company Aspiration (a company that had become a $300 million Clippers team sponsor back in 2021, but now is bankrupt with its CEO pleading guilty to fraud). Ballmer noted that the Clippers ended their team sponsor relationship with Aspiration after it defaulted on its obligations, and said both he and the team knew nothing about Leonard's $48 million endorsement deal with Aspiration ($28 million in cash, the rest in stock) other than that it existed. Ballmer vehemently denied the charge that the Clippers used Leonard's Aspiration endorsement to circumvent the NBA salary cap.
That argument is becoming increasingly difficult to believe.
After a detailed initial report came a second one from the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast (which broke the story initially) that Clippers minority owner Dennis Wong invested $2 million into Aspiration late in 2022 — when the company was failing and struggling to make payroll — and a week later Leonard got a delayed $1.75 million quarterly endorsement check.
Now comes a report that Ballmer made a second, $10 million investment in Aspiration in March, 2023, despite it being clear at that point the company was failing and headed toward bankruptcy. The report comes from Mike Vorkunov at The Athletic.
In March 2023, LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested almost $10 million into financial technology and sustainability services company Aspiration, according to legal filings reviewed by The Athletic and corroborated by a former Aspiration executive...
Ballmer's 2023 investment was part of a fundraising round made up almost entirely of previous Aspiration investors, with Wong being the lone exception. The company hoped to raise $75 million in fresh money but came up nearly $9 million short.
What is not known is when the payments on Leonard's endorsement stopped. He is a creditor in Aspiration's bankruptcy, seeking $7 million he is still owed.
Ballmer and the Clippers have not commented on the latest allegations, but their defense is likely the same: Ballmer was making a personal investment (and not a big one for Ballmer, who Forbes estimates is worth $153 billion), hoping to prop up the company and recoup his original investment, that this had nothing to do with Leonard.
This latest report is another wave in the tsunami of evidence that the Clippers used Aspiration to funnel extra money to Leonard outside his standard contract — maybe it's all circumstantial evidence, at least what we see publicly, but it's not hard to connect these dots. It's short, straight lines between these dots.
It feels like more than an appearance now, the buzz in league circles is that many owners feel the same way, which means Silver is going to have to bring the hammer down on the Clippers (likely taking away future first-round draft picks, fining the Clippers up to $7.5 million, suspending team executives, and he could potentially void Leonard's contract, although that last one is unlikely).
The NBA's formal investigation is ongoing and likely will drag out for a while.
In a result that feels in sync with what is going on in the NBA, it's the young generation of stars — Orlando's Franz Wagner with Germany and Houston's Alperen Sengun with Turkiye — who have led their teams to the EuroBasket Finals. Not Giannis Antetokounmpo, not Nikola Jokic, not Luka Doncic, and not Lauri Markkanen.
In the first semifinal match on Friday, Wagner had 22 points, while Sacramento's Dennis Schröder added 26 points and 12 assists to lift Germany past Finland.
As good as Germany's offense was, it was its defense on Markkanen that was the difference. One of the best players in this tournament, the Utah big man who has sparked a basketball frenzy in Finland, was held to 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
In the second game it was the same theme — Turkiye triple-teamed Antetokounmpo on his drives limiting him to 12 points on 13 shots. Without his spark, it wasn't much of a game as Turkiye cruised to a 94-68 win.
Ercan Osmani led Turkiye with 28 points, and it was another impressive game for Sengun who had 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as the hub of the Turkish offense. Sengun has had a monster EuroBasket.
Let me remind you, Alperen Sengun is just 23 years old.
Turkiye and Germany face off Sunday for the EuroBasket title. Expect a close game between the two 8-0 teams, Germany and Turkey played a friendly before EuroBasket, which Germany won in a close one, 73-71.
Dundon purchased a stake in the Hurricanes in 2017 and became the team's majority owner in 2018, as the franchise has seen unparalleled success since his arrival.
The Knicks are signing veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, which will see the veteran receive strong consideration for a roster spot.
If the Knicks want to keep both Brogdon and Shamet, they will have to trade one of their own players to create the roster spot.
Trading either Pacôme Dadiet or Miles McBride would clear enough cap space to sign both Shamet and Brogdon. (There are other combinations of players the Knicks could trade to create the space to add both veterans, but those two are being mentioned because it would be the most direct path for the Knicks to take if they wanted to keep both vets.)
I’d be surprised if the Knicks made a move like that ahead of training camp. I’d assume that they let things play out in training camp/preseason before making decisions on final roster spots. It’s also worth pointing out that they have always held McBride in high regard and haven’t been receptive to any past trades involving the now 25-year-old.
As things currently stand, the Knicks have enough room under the second apron to keep a veteran free agent like Shamet, Brogdon, or Garrison Matthews and to sign a rookie to a minimum deal. The rookie needs to have been drafted by the Knicks. So the plan heading into camp is for New York to sign Mohamed Diawara to that rookie deal.
The Knicks have also had other veteran free agents in for workouts lately. Thomas Bryant, who played well against New York in the Eastern Conference Finals with Indiana, has been in New York for open gym workouts and really impressed the Knicks, per SNY league sources.
Bryant is the best big man free agent left on the board. The Knicks don’t have a rotation role for him at the moment. But they are certainly fans of the 28-year-old.
I’d expect New York to host some other veterans for workouts ahead of camp. As noted on Thursday, big man Trey Jemison III is also squarely on the Knicks’ radar ahead of training camp.
With Brogdon aboard, there will certainly be a competition in preseason for the open roster spot. If two of the veteran players separate themselves from the pack, the Knicks will have to trade one of their rostered players to bring those vets in. Certainly something to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.
As for Brogdon, the Knicks were looking for depth at point guard, and they did well to land the veteran at this point in the offseason. When healthy, Brogdon had a solid season last year for the Wizards. He averaged 12.7 points and 4.1 assists per game. But he was limited to 24 contests (13 starts) due to injury.
During his nine-year career, which has also included stints with the Bucks, Pacers, Celtics, and Trail Blazers, Brogdon has averaged 15.3 points and 3.6 assists. His agreement with the Knicks was first reported by ESPN.
This offseason, in addition to Brogdon and Shamet, New York added guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Guerschon Yabusele.
Jake Fischer earlier reported the Knicks’ interest in Bryant. I’m sure the Knicks would love to have Bryant in camp, but they have depth at center – Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson, and Ariel Hukporti – so there is no room in the rotation for Bryant.
The Knicks, it should be noted, will also be able to add a veteran free agent later in the season because they will be able to fit the pro-rated contract under the second apron.
