Knicks Expected to Keep Free Agent Guard Additions

Shamet's sticking around is less of a surprise, having played rotation-worthy minutes in the Knicks' dramatic run to last season's Eastern Conference Finals as a bench shooter. New York needed spacing, which he's spent his career providing, and his effortful defense quickly made him a Tom Thibodeau favorite.

Brogdon, though, hasn't gotten to play much winning basketball in recent years. The oft-injured guard looked to be completing a career resurgence on the 2022-23 Boston Celtics, but the contenders wasted no time in punting him for a better guarantee at a title-winning guard when they saw the chance to get Jrue Holiday.

Their bet paid off, while Brogdon spent a pair of seasons floating between some of the league's less-competitive situations in the Portland Trail Blazers and the Washington Wizards as a bench presence. He merely notched 24 appearances at his last stint in D.C., with that organization opting in favor of testing out their young prospects over their lower-ceiling veterans.

The Knicks could use the point guard's distributive skills, especially if he's in a fringe-rotational role that would keep him from straining under the weight of a hefty burden. He was still good for over four assists in a 20-minute-per-game role with the Wizards, and he'll get even less opportunity for injury in playing behind Jalen Brunson, one of the most depended-upon guards in the league.

Knicks' head coach Mike Brown sounds serious about implementing more off-ball looks for Brunson, and if that's the case, a backup floor general who can drive, shoot and feed has to be just the secondary distributor that he's imagining for his upcoming rotation.