We finally know who will round out the New York Knicks’ roster to start the regular season: Landry Shamet, Mohamed Diawara, and…that’s it.
After weeks of it seeming as if the Knicks would trade Pacome Dadiet to make way for two veterans and Diawara, the organization is pivoting. Whether that is by choice or force is debatable.
Malcolm Brogdon's retirement threw a wrench into New York’s two-veteran plans. He was considered one of the players guaranteed a spot on the roster. Calling it quits ensured that Dadiet wouldn’t be going anywhere, at least to start the season, unless the Knicks wanted to retain both Shamet and Garrison Mathews. It turns out they didn’t.
Ian Begley of SNY reported less than a day before the roster cut-down deadline that New York would be waiving Mathews. Despite his standout long-range shooting during preseason, Shamet offers more defensive resistance to go along with comparable floor-spacing juice.
Mohamed Diawara was always the most likely signing
Somewhat ironically, the No. 51 pick in this past June’s draft was perhaps the player with the most job security entering training camp and preseason.
Without making any moves to trim money from the ledger, handing out another veteran’s minimum deal leaves the Knicks a little over $1.4 million beneath the second apron. That is only enough to sign a player with no NBA experience, which gave Diawara the inside track right out of the gate.
The state of the wing rotation also lent him a helping hand. The Knicks are stacked at the top with OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, but they don’t have much else after them. They have already needed to reconcile with shallowness head-on. Hart missed most of the preseason with a back injury, and will be wearing a finger splint on his shooting hand for the entire year, in hopes of delaying surgery until the summer.
A general lack of conviction in Dadiet worked in Diawara’s favor on top of everything else. The 20-year-old sophomore received a “DNP - Coach’s Decision” during the Knicks’ final preseason game, even though they were shorthanded. Diawara, on other hand, received the starting nod because, as Mike Brown said, he “earned it in practice.”
Don’t get too used to this Knicks roster
Though the Knicks’ 14-man roster is set for now, we’d be remiss not to emphasize the “for now.”
This team is almost assuredly going to make midseason changes. Not only will the Giannis Antetokounmpo speculation stick to this squad like Rick Brunson to the Knicks’ coaching staff, but Deuce McBride’s extension eligibility along with Mitchell Robinson’s pending foray into 2026 unrestricted free agency could force New York to get out in front of some decisions.
Leon Rose and the rest of the front office may also just want to shore up the depth. The Knicks could use another backup ball-handler if Tyler Kolek doesn’t pop. We already mentioned the secondary wing rotation’s shallowness. Another big man could become a must if Robinson misses too much time, if Ariel Hukporti proves that he’s not yet ready, and if the team believes Karl-Anthony Towns is best served playing beside a center.
These are all issues for a different day, after the Knicks have a regular-season sample under their belt. The roster as currently constructed is it. For now.