Landry Shamet’s right shoulder injury represents more than just a potential rough patch for the New York Knicks’ rotation. It could mark the end of his time with the team, period.
Just so we’re clear: We do not yet know the extent of the injury to Shamet’s shoulder. The Knicks are notoriously tight-lipped on injury updates, and head coach Mike Brown did not have any further information on his prognosis following New York’s Monday night win over the Brooklyn Nets:
Asked Mike Brown if he knows how long Landry Shamet could potentially be out: “He’s still getting evaluated.”
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) November 24, 2025
No update on the severity as of yet.
Alarm bells are going off even without concrete information. This is the same shoulder that Shamet injured prior to the start of last season, which resulted in the Knicks waiving him, before re-signing him in December. If the latest injury is similarly serious, let alone even worse, New York may be forced to waive him again.
Only this time, eventually bringing him back could be out of the question.
Landry Shamet’s contract is non-guaranteed until the middle of January
Shamet signed an Exhibit 9 contract with New York entering training camp. These deals do not count against the salary cap unless the players on them make the final roster. Shamet made the cut with the Knicks, which means his agreement converted to a standard non-guaranteed pact. That gives New York the ability to waive him prior to January 10 without paying his entire salary.
Jettisoning Shamet just because he’s injured is a bonkers notion at face value. He has transformed into one of the best bargains from the offseason. He is, in theory, too important to cut.
At the same time, if he’s going to miss months rather than weeks, the Knicks are not nearly deep enough to float a roster spot that’s not bringing value to the court, or as a trade asset.
They might be willing to gut it out if they had the flexibility to add another body. They don’t. With under $150,000 separating them from the second-apron threshold, which they cannot cross, they won’t be able to sign a pro-rated contract until April.”
Unless they can strike a trade for someone to eat up rotation minutes, the Knicks may decide waiving Shamet is the only way to add another playable body.
Waiving Landry Shamet could end his Knicks tenure…permanently
Perhaps waiving Shamet would not be a huge deal if New York could follow last year’s blueprint, and re-sign him later.
Related; This isn’t last year.
Shamet has no doubt caught the attention of other teams with his play this season. Given that he’s on a minimum deal, another squad could feasibly claim him off waivers should the Knicks decide to move on.
If this happens, New York becomes much less likely to bring back Shamet in free agency. He has potentially graduated from the minimum-contract bucket. The Knicks will not be able to offer more than that if they, as expected, enter the second apron over the summer.
That’s why having Shamet now was so important—so much of a home run. New York is slated to have his Early Bird rights, which would provide the flexibility necessary to keep him next summer. Those Early Bird rights disappear if he finishes the season on another team.
So while the stakes on Shamet’s next injury update are high for this year, they’re even higher when contemplating what it means for the future.