Guess Who's Back

The Knicks add one old friend (and one new one) to the roster. Plus, I continue to answer your questions as we wind down the offseason

Good morning! We have a great mailbag for you today, but first, some weekend news (and views)…

News & Notes

🏀 It appears the Knicks have completed their roster heading into training camp.

Over the weekend, the team signing both Landry Shamet and OAKAAK Marcus Morris Sr to Exhibit 9 contracts, which are non-guaranteed deals that provide New York with salary protections in the event either player suffers a training camp injury. If one or both make the team out of camp, they will play on a one-year, veteran minimum contract.

The moves are significant in that it gives the Knicks the maximum 20 players allowed entering training camp.

In addition to the presumed nine-man rotation, the Knicks also have Keita Bates-Diop, Cameron Payne and Jericho Sims on guaranteed deals, rookies Tyler Kolek and Pacome Dadiet on rookie contracts, and three two-way players. Morris, Shamet and the previously signed Chuma Okeke round out the group.

Only 15 of these players will make the roster out of camp, and players with fully guaranteed deals usually have a leg up in these races, but this one may not be so simple.

Both Ian Begley and Stefan Bondy reported that Shamet chose New York over other interested suitors, presumably because he felt he had a good chance to make the team, and the front office has a very good relationship with Shamet’s agent Jason Glushon, who also reps Payne, Sims and Donte DiVincenzo.

On top of that, Shamet has one very useful NBA skill, and it’s a pretty important one nowadays. Even after a poor shooting season with Washington last year, the former Sixer, Clipper, Net and Sun is a career 38.4 percent marksman from deep, and teams will always guard him on the perimeter. If he’s ever forced into action, given New York’s defensive aptitude, they could probably survive Shamet’s defensive shortcomings as well as anyone.

As for Morris, Begley reports that he has “a real chance” to make the team, in part because he was “a strong locker room presence for both young players and vets” during his previous (albeit brief) stint. Perhaps more importantly, Begley notes that the team views Morris as a “stretch 4/5.” For a team that is a) lacking in center depth and b) has the personnel to throw out some truly feisty small-ball lineups, Mook may wind up being more than just a towel waiver. Even as his rotation minutes have dwindled over the last few years, Morris has maintained a more-than-respectable 3-point conversion rate. Like with Shamet, that could come in handy.

If both new signees do end up making the squad, Keita Bates-Diop would be the likeliest name on the chopping block. Alternatively, they could ship KBD and a low future second rounder to a team with roster space that could better afford to have some dead money on their books.

Or maybe neither Morris or Shamet ever see #meaningful minutes in a Knick uniform, which is probably the likeliest outcome. Either way, these are two perfectly fine signing for the middle of September.

Monday Mailbag

We’re almost there! Media Day will kick off training camp two weeks from today. As a result, summer mailbag season is almost over, but we still have some great questions to get to, starting with a timely one today from Charles:

So are we now at the stage of hoping for the best with the center situation? Seems like a lot that has to go right for a team that’s competing for a championship, especially with the starting front court coming back from season-ending injury.

In a perfect world, New York would have squared away its center position with a greater degree of certainty by now. And according to a recent Ian Begley mailbag, it wasn’t for lack of trying.