Entering training camp, New York Knicks fans were under the impression that Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet would make the final roster, but a trade would have to come first. With Oct. 18 only a few days away, that was still the assumption, although Garrison Mathews has made his own case to make the final roster, but on Wednesday afternoon, everything changed.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Brogdon decided to retire. It's not because he wasn't going to make the final roster, but per Charania, he had been thinking about retiring for the past few weeks.
Malcolm Brogdon was set to make the Knicks' regular season roster, but had been contemplating retirement and informed Knicks officials on Wednesday of his decision. Full statement from Brogdon on his sudden retirement: https://t.co/Z8IdTGBznj pic.twitter.com/WX2Gfc7bHv
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 15, 2025
The Bucks drafted Brogdon with the No. 36 pick in 2016, and he won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2016-17, becoming the first second-round pick to do so since 1965. Unfortunately, injuries were a theme of his career, particularly during the past two seasons.
At 32 years old, the Knicks signed Brogdon to be the backup point guard behind Jalen Brunson, a void that now perhaps Tyler Kolek will fill. If New York wants to keep Shamet and Mathews, a trade could still be coming, and odds are it will still be Pacôme Dadiet, as New York can't lose Kolek after Brogdon's sudden retirement.
Knicks guard Malcolm Brogdon announces his retirement
Mathews isn't the ball-handler that Brogdon is (or was), but he can shoot threes, which is enough in itself to make New York think about keeping him around. He's shooting over 41% from deep in the preseason, and, yes, it's just the preseason, but he's a career 38.2% three-point shooter. Mathews has built his reputation in the NBA as a threat from deep.
Adding two veterans to the roster in Shamet and Mathews would be on track with what New York wants to do — win a championship now. It would cost one player, and in all likelihood, that player would be Dadiet. Outside of Miles McBride, who isn't going anywhere, Dadiet has garnered the most interest between himself and Kolek.
The Knicks have 14 players on standard contracts, leaving them with room for only one more. New York must decide between now and Saturday at 5 p.m. ET, the deadline for non-guaranteed deals. The most likely route is trading Dadiet, which would create space to keep Shamet and Mathews. Or the Knicks could keep Shamet and Dadiet, letting Mathews go.
What will it be?