Amid all the hype around James Wiseman and the state of the third big-man spot on this New York Knicks roster, wing Bruce Brown seems to be complicating the club's decision-making in the best way possible.
According to SNY insider Ian Begley, the Knicks have been impressed by the veteran's play through this point into training camp and the preseason, and, as a result, he "has put himself in a position to make this roster."
Now, considering their financial restraints, what with their league-high payroll coupled with owner James Dolan's unwillingness to enter the second apron, it's widely believed that New York will only be looking to add just one more player to their regular season squad rather than fill in the two available spots and make it a full 15-man roster.
This, along with their presumed desire to add another big to back up the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond following Mitchell Robinson's offseason exit, suggests that someone like Wiseman, or even Drew Eubanks and, more of a long shot, Tony Bradley, will wind up getting the edge over Brown.
However, as Begley noted, looking to the trade market to offload a lower-level, end-of-bench player could allow the Knicks to sign both Brown and a center before the October 19 roster-setting deadline.
While it's hard to say who could realistically be sacrificed in such a hypothetical situation, it appears that the most popular option (among Knicks fans, that is) may have just slightly managed to move the needle in his direction.
Pacome Dadiet showing signs of life with Knicks this preseason
In a perfect world, the Knicks would almost certainly be looking to part ways with former first-round pick Pacome Dadiet on the trade market and create the salary needed to bring on someone like Brown.
Unfortunately, as a result of his highly underwhelming two-season tenure with the team, word on the street is there are literally no interested buyers at this point in time.
Of course, the preseason is showing signs that Dadiet's play could be taking a turn for the better, which, in theory, could go on to bump up his trade value.
Through three games played, the wing has seen 14.6 minutes per night and is boasting averages of 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 50.0 percent from deep. During his last outing against the Timberwolves, Dadiet also cashed in on two of his three triples and registered seven points in just 14 minutes played.
While it may only be coming in preseason play, he's still just 21 and is only three years removed from being branded as having the makings of becoming "a solid '3-and-D' starter." Perhaps these baby steps in the right direction could end up swaying a rival club to take a swing at the youngster.
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