After spending the past five years largely beholden to Tom Thibodeau's rigid rotations, the New York Knicks appear to be gearing up for more of an open competition under head coach Mike Brown. At least, this is what their slew of recent signings suggests.
Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon, and Garrison Mathews are all under contract with the team...for now. Each of them is on a non-guaranteed deal, and are expected to compete for New York's final veteran minimum's salary slot during training camp. Any one of them can be waived, at any time, with no muss or fuss.
Now, as Jake Fischer notes for The Stein Line, the Knicks are exploring trade scenarios that would shed the money necessary for them to retain two of these three names. This hypothetical is one they have danced around before, and if they inevitably act on it, well, Tyler Kolek should be considered the odds-on favorite to be shipped elsewhere.
Giving up on a prospect to make way for two of Brogdon, Shamet, and Matthews is a debatable move. But it would lend further merit to the shifting rotation dynamics.
The Knicks’ rotation is no longer etched in stone
Despite showing small degrees of adaptability over the years, Thibs ran a tight ship. The Knicks’ 2025 playoff run was the most flexible, verging on unpredictable, his rotations became. And many of his changes didn’t come until it was too late.
Whether last season’s squad had the depth required to experiment with its rotation is arguable. From what we saw of Thibs in the past, it also wouldn’t have mattered.
Brown already seems to be headed in a different direction. Though Sacramento Kings fans had their own gripes about his rotation before he got canned, the Knicks are giving him more options. Additions like Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson offer subtle, albeit substantial, lineup versatility. Brown also has a bevy of different avenues he’s expected to explore with the starting lineup.
Then, of course, we have the most recent signings. The Knicks are already drumming up training-camp competition by inviting three vets on non-guaranteed deals. Making room for two of them only increases the flexibility.
This is how we’ll know New York has changed for good
New York has essentially admitted it has no plans to lean on Kolek or Pacome Dadiet. Any one of Brogdon, Shamet, or Mathews is more likely to grab minutes if they make the roster.
Throw two of them into the fold, and forget about it. Suddenly guys like Jordan Clarkson, Josh Hart, and Deuce McBride have to be at the top of their games, otherwise they risk tumbling down the pecking order.
That doesn’t make journeying down the two-vet path a given. It mandates making a trade that could be tough to stomach. Then again, you don’t ship out players without a purpose. Figuring out how to add two vets implies that Brown plans to use them, or at least give them a shot to establish themselves.
And even if New York only keeps one, the open competition in training camp is evidence of change in its own right. So much about the Knicks under Thibs felt fait accompli. They are giving off starkly different vibes to begin the Mike Brown era.