The New York Knicks enter training camp with most of their rotation settled, but one roster spot remains open.
Bruce Brown, John Konchar, James Wiseman, Drew Eubanks and Ochai Agbaji are competing on nonguaranteed deals, with Wiseman and Eubanks potentially having an advantage because New York needs additional depth at center.
Unless the Knicks make a salary-clearing trade, they are expected to have room for only one of those players while staying under the second apron.
A strong camp from Brown or Konchar, however, could potentially convince the front office to create additional financial flexibility.
Contract situations involving Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and Miles McBride also remain unresolved.
Towns is reportedly being asked to accept considerably less than his $276 million maximum extension, while McBride could become a free agent after the season if no extension is reached.
Coach Mike Brown also faces the task of keeping the defending champions motivated following their title run.
Brown previously experienced similar circumstances as an assistant with the Warriors during their back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.
Andre Drummond is the Knicks’ main rotational newcomer and will have an important frontcourt role following Mitchell Robinson’s departure to Boston.
Meanwhile, McBride enters camp healthy after sports hernia surgery affected him late last season and during the playoffs.
The Knicks’ veteran starters could see limited preseason action.
With established chemistry and clearly defined roles, the team has little need to give its core players heavy minutes before the regular season.
