With a few weeks away from training camp, the New York Knicks’ roster is still taking shape. The current NBA champion lost Mitchell Robinson and could lose another of its longest-tenured Knicks. That’s why the team moves quickly to secure John Konchar’s signing.
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“Free agent forward John Konchar has agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Knicks, agent George S. Langberg of @GSLSportsGroup tells ESPN,” Shams Charania tweeted. “Konchar is entering his eighth NBA season.”
It was the Jazz that traded Konchar and Cody Williams to the Timberwolves for Josh Green. Reports clearly indicated that Minnesota was only interested in keeping Williams and was waiving Konchar. The Heat, Magic and Raptors were interested in him, but the Knicks snapped him up.
The 6-foot-5 frame would give Mike Brown a different asset, as he also shot 34.9% from three over his career. Clearly, the Knicks valued Konchar’s ability and now have 14 players on standard contracts, leaving roughly $3.2 million in cap space below the second apron. They already have plans for the final roster spot.
“SNY sources: big man Drew Eubanks is signing with the Knicks on a camp deal and will be competing for a roster spot,” reported Ian Begley.
The 29-year-old adds further depth behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond. The 6-foot-10 center has appeared in 426 NBA games across eight seasons, with 86 starts. Eubanks was with Sacramento last season, and even though he started just 11 games, he played in 42 and averaged 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.1 minutes. More importantly, he shot 59.6% from the field.
While he gets a chance to compete for the roster spot, the Knicks also announced the waiver of five players—Jaden Akins, Nick Jourdain, Mitch Mascari, Toby Okani, and Paul Zilinskas—who signed short-term Exhibit 10 contracts days earlier. Not just them, but even Miles McBride could be on his way out.
The 26-year-old is in his final year of a three-year, $13 million deal. Deuce has outperformed his contract by a long mile. Yet, the contract talks have been on hold. McBride did not sign an extension before the August 11 deadline, leaving him to play out the season on a $3.9 million expiring deal, though SNY’s Ian Begley has confirmed the Knicks and McBride’s representatives have remained in regular contact ahead of training camp.
“Unless the Knicks and McBride reach an agreement before the start of the season, it feels like we’re heading toward a departure,” The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III previously reported. “Mitchell Robinson was a casualty of the second apron, and McBride could likely be too.” His contribution of 12.0 points and 2.6 assists last season while shooting 41.3% from three clearly makes him one of the key players on the roster.
But the signing of Konchar seemingly could mean that the Knicks have their role player, which keeps them under cap constraints. So McBride’s tenure in New York could come to an end.