The New York Knicks have assembled a solid guard rotation for the upcoming season. Jalen Brunson, Jordan Clarkson, Miles McBride and Tyler Kolek are all among the guards at Mike Brown’s disposal.
However, the Knicks may feel that another steady scoring hand is needed off the bench. New York currently has some room to add talent this summer. And, according to David Vertsberger of SNY, Malcolm Brogdon could emerge as a potential target, if the Knicks truly want some additional help at either guard position.
“If the Knicks have any reservations, signing Brogdon would be a nice insurance policy on their backcourt options. Like Simmons, he’s likely past his prime but can provide some reliable playmaking,” Vertsberger wrote. “Unlike Simmons, he’s only two years removed from winning Sixth Man of the Year and currently has some more credible NBA skills. Brogdon is a career 38.8 percent shooter from three and has evolved into more of a distributor in his last few seasons.”
Brogdon has struggled with injuries throughout his career. However, he shone for the Boston Celtics during the 2022-23 season, where his minutes were closely monitored. That allowed him to secure the Sixth Man of the Year award. Given the Knicks’ depth at the guard spot, they could easily do the same in order to get the best version of what Brodgon has to offer.
Knicks May Need to Make a Trade to Add to Roster
On a recent episode of “The Putback,” SNY’s Ian Begley discussed how the Knicks could go about adding Landry Shamet, or another free agent, to the current roster. The insider noted how the franchise may need to make a trade to free up room under the second luxury tax apron.
“I think there’s a lot of support internally for bringing Shamet back,” Begley said. “I think there’s a lot of respect for what he did last year with that shoulder injury, getting back on the floor. … There’s a comfort with Shamet, a respect for Shamet in that locker room…The only way to do that is to make a trade. You can’t do it any other way. You have to open up a spot if you want to bring in another veteran’s minimum…We’ve reported on Ben Simmons. There’s still interest there. But in order to bring in a Simmons, or anybody else, if you do do Shamet, you’d have to make a trade.”
New York is currently $3.7 million under the second luxury tax apron. The franchise is undoubtedly trying to avoid slipping into that higher bracket. Being a second luxury tax apron team comes with some punitive penalties. As such, making a consolidation trade to free up some cap space would be a smart idea.
Knicks Need to Round Out Their Roster
The Knicks currently have 12 players under contract. The franchise will need at least 14 under contract to begin the new season. As such, there will undoubtedly be a few new faces in the coming weeks.
Therefore, it makes sense to expect some form of trade. Either to acquire a new player or two, or to shed some salary to provide room to work in the free agency market.
Otherwise, the franchise may risk slipping into the second apron, even if only until we get closer to the February 2026 trade deadline.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Former 6MoTY Pinpointed As Possible Knicks Target appeared first on Heavy Sports.