Knicks: 3 ways to make roster space for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Elfrid Payton

The New York Knicks have some roster decisions to make before the start of the 2020-21 NBA season.

After a relatively quiet free agency period, the New York Knicks find themselves in a bit of a conundrum. They have 17 NBA players and they are only allowed to carry 15 into the regular season (excluding two-ways).

While this sounds like a competitive situation for the team as they open training camp this week, and for a few players, perhaps it will be, what we do know is that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Elfrid Payton will somehow find a way onto the roster.

Payton signed a one-year, $4.67 million guaranteed contract to return to the Knicks. Technically, he is only one of two true point guards on the depth chart.

Kidd-Gilchrist signed a non-guaranteed deal with an Exhibit 10 clause that allows him to collect a bonus if he is waived; however, as a veteran forward with clear ties to the front office through his Kentucky lineage, it seems hard to believe he would sign on the dotted line unless he had some assurances of playing in the NBA.

The Knicks currently have 20 players (including two-ways and Exhibit 10s) under contract heading into training camp, the most allowed by the league during the offseason.

How can New York free up two roster spots to make room for Payton and Kidd-Gilchrist before the regular season begins?

Let’s explore a few options.