The New York Knicks made two signings over the weekend, and neither were expected. Landry Shamet is the latest former Sun to join the Knicks, reuniting with his former teammates Mikal Bridges and Cam Payne. Oh, and Marcus Morris Sr. is back.
New York has one roster spot open, so fans were understandably confused when the Shamet news dropped on Saturday. Did the Knicks really "give" a guard the final roster spot? No. Shamet is on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal that will become fully guaranteed in January.
While fans were still digesting the Shamet news, the Knicks made another move. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported New York and Morris agreed to a one-year deal. He spent last season with the Sixers (37 games) and Cavaliers (seven games). Like Shamet, it's a non-guaranteed contract. The Knicks still have an open roster spot. The training camp battles will soon commence!
Updated Knicks depth chart after Shamet, Morris signings
PG: Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Tyler Kolek, Cam Payne
SG: Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, Landry Shamet, Kevin McCullar Jr.*
SF: OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Pacome Dadiet, Keita Bates-Diop, Chuma Okeke
PF: Julius Randle, Marcus Morris Sr., Jacob Toppin*
C: Mitchell Robinson, Precious Achiuwa, Jericho Sims, Ariel Hukporti*
* = two-way contract
Which Knicks players are on non-guaranteed contracts?
Shamet, Okeke, and Morris Sr. are on non-guaranteed deals. Bates-Diop isn't on a non-guaranteed contract. He arrived at the Knicks via the Bridges trade and picked up his $2.7 million player option for 2024-25.
Knicks players on standard NBA contracts
Brunson, McBride, Kolek, Payne, Bridges, DiVincenzo, Anunoby, Hart, Bates-Diop, Dadiet, Randle, Robinson, Achiuwa, and Sims are on standard contracts.
Tom Thibodeau's projected nine-man Knicks rotation
Everyone knows that Thibodeau likes a nine-man rotation. If that strategy stays the same to start the season, here's what his rotation should look like: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Precious Achiuwa.
Who will get the final Knicks roster spot?
In a few weeks, New York will open training camp at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. Several players will be battling for the final roster spot. The Knicks need another big man, as their frontcourt depth is concerning after losing Isaiah Hartenstein. New York has explored several center options this summer on the free-agent and trade market.
Watching how training camp and preseason shakes out will be especially interesting for New York.