The New York Knicks have gone on a signing spree these last few days, picking up multiple players via Exhibit 9 contracts. From career journeymen like Bruce Brown to former second-overall draft picks like James Wiseman, Leon Rose and company have snatched up quite a wide range of talents off the free-agent market.
With these additions, the expectation is that New York will hold some sort of open competition during training camp as they look to add another player to their roster heading into their title-defense tour.
Of course, considering the fact that John Konchar is among this pool of players vying for a standard deal, it truly seems like this is his battle to lose.
The veteran forward is well documented to have been a highly sought-after talent on the free-agent market by several ball clubs this offseason.
According to SNY's Ian Begley, Konchar chose the defending champions over "a group of suitors," which suggests that there was very likely a strong indication during their negotiations that he'd have a leg up over his fellow camp competitors to ultimately make the team.
Konchar is a jack-of-all-trades contributor who, with his 6-foot-5 frame and nitty-gritty instincts, can confidently slot in at both the two and three spots. For his career, he sports averages of 4.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 46.9 percent shooting from the floor and 34.9 percent shooting from deep.
Knicks camp invites still technically have a shot even with John Konchar
Though Konchar should be viewed as the frontrunner among his fellow Exhibit 9 signees to land a standard deal with the Knicks, this doesn't mean the rest of the pack doesn't also have a shot at landing a deal along with him.
New York is in a financial situation where they really only have enough room to sign one player, though they technically have two open roster spots.
Because of this, the belief is that the Knicks will only ink one of these players to a standard deal. Of course, should two end up impressing in camp, that could open the door to the idea of a trade to create the space necessary to bring on two new talents.
To cap analyst and host of the Third Apron Podcast Yossi Goslan, third-year wing Pacome Dadiet would likely be the most logical player for the Knicks to part ways with in some sort of deal should signing another player from camp become a real desire for New York.
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