If the New York Knicks plan on staying under the second apron of the salary cap, they can only sign one more player to their roster this offseason. The team has two open roster spots, but only enough room to use one on a player making the veteran's minimum.
As of now, the team's biggest need is still at the center position. The Knicks only have two big men on their roster, even including their three two-way players, in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond. This doesn't necessarily bode well for Ochai Agbaji and Bruce Brown's chances in the ongoing training camp battle.
However, if the Knicks are indeed putting a premium on youth, the 26-year-old Agbaji will have an inherent edge over the 30-year-old Brown. SNY's Ian Begley reported on Friday that, to some extent, the team has a preference with regard to its future third-string center.
"Before training camp, the team told some potential free agents that it was looking for a big man on the younger side," Begley wrote.
Knicks need to make a trade if they plan on signing two free agents
The scribe added that he doesn't see age keeping James Wiseman, Tony Bradley, or Drew Eubanks, who range from 25-29 years old, from earning that final roster spot. If there truly only ends up being one more place at the end of Mike Brown's bench, it will likely go to a big man — simply out of necessity.
New York has, however, reportedly been shopping Pacôme Dadiet around. That would seemingly be in hopes of clearing a second roster spot for another one of the veterans, on an Exhibit 9 deal, competing at camp.
If the Knicks can move Dadiet without sacrificing more than one second-round draft selection, and Brown is genuinely of the belief that it'd be worth it to add another training camp standout to his roster, the head coach has earned the right to call the shot.
Brown just ended the team's drought without an NBA Championship. Next, he'll lead the charge as New York looks to become the first team in nine years to successfully defend a title in the league's modern era of parity.
Last season, Dadiet averaged 4.7 minutes per game in 29 appearances. The sophomore wing got opportunities during the preseason and received praise from Brown with regard to his potential, but wasn't a part of the team's nightly attack. He was seemingly leapfrogged in the rotation relatively quickly by rookie Mohamed Diawara, who averaged almost twice as much playing time in 69 games.
The Knicks always seem capable of generating new second-round picks when they need them, but shouldn't be too comfortable stacking them up as a sweetener for Dadiet's $2.9 million salary. Last season's Jose Alvarado acquisition showed that valuable players can eventually shake loose as the trade deadline creeps closer.
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