For the majority of the offseason, the most hotly discussed topic when it comes to the New York Knicks has been their vacant 14 roster spot and how the front office could go about filling it ahead of their championship defense tour.
To many, this final slot should be prioritized to land another big man to back up starter Karl-Anthony Towns and recently signed veteran Andre Drummond.
Of course, with the underwhelming crop of available talents, coupled with the swirling rumors surrounding Miles McBride, it now opens the door to adding a pivot via trade or the buyout market sometime between now and mid-season.
With this in mind, perhaps Leon Rose and company may be open to the possibility of running with the frontcourt depth they have for the time being, and, instead, consider using their final spot on the roster to sign Tyler Nickel to a standard rookie contract.
Tyler Nickel could be big winner if Knicks fail to sign Miles McBride
According to The Athletic's James L. Edwards III, should the Knicks and McBride fail to reach an agreement on a new, long-term deal before the start of the season, "it feels like we’re heading toward a departure."
Now, granted, there's no telling what New York would potentially be looking to get back in exchange for Deuce's services, but whether it's for a one-for-one player swap or simply a salary dump, a big man could easily end up being added as a result of such an event.
This, of course, could make them a bit more flexible in how they approach their final roster opening, which could, in the end, bode well for the rookie Nickel.
The 47 overall pick from this past June's NBA Draft shined during Summer League with the Knicks, lighting up the perimeter with his smooth shooting stroke and posting impressive averages of 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 41.3 percent from deep.
Nickel projects to be a solid, sharpshooting role player out on the wings heading into the pros, with the 22-year-old even mentioning guys like Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, and Sam Hauser as players he stacks himself up against.
Now, granted, Nickel does play at a position the Knicks already have a number of quality bench contributors, including the likes of Landry Shamet and, of course, McBride. However, both have dealt with their fair share of injury woes over the past few years, while the latter, as noted earlier, could be an in-season flight risk.
All things considered, the Vanderbilt standout could be viewed as an exciting insurance option to have at the two and three, and locking him in on a standard deal could prove to be a highly strategic move going into 2026-27, especially if he shines in training camp as he did in July's Summer League.
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