Mike Brown Could Bring Old Favorites to Knicks

A variety of important faces around the New York Knicks will get a say in how the team plans on filling its final roster spot.

They're allowed one more veteran on a minimum contract, and there are a plethora of available names out there who could help the team on a buy-low deal. Team executives have likely been pondering the matter for days, and Knicks majority owner James Dolan always seems to have some ideas pertaining to the direction the team should take.

If they were to ask newly-named head coach Mike Brown what he thinks, though, there's a chance he'd refer back to one of the names he helped guide between his most recent stint with the Sacramento Kings and the years he spent prior to that stop as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors.

One of the more popular free agent names still floating around over a week after the window to sign players opened up is Gary Payton II, the defense-first athlete who made a career for himself by locking down opposing guards and slamming electrifying dunks in Golden State over the last few seasons. The journeyman finally broke out during the Warriors' championship run in 2021-22, and remained a crucial piece to their success until he hit free agency.

Michael Zeno of SB Nation's Posting and Toasting made the case for his reuniting with Brown, an off-ball stopper who can help the team's perimeter defense needs as a reserve alongside scoring ball handlers like Jalen Brunson and Jordan Clarkson. He's not the most reliable 3-point shooter, but notched over 39% from deep on low volume in last season's playoffs.

"I think GPII would be a slam dunk if they could get him on the minimum," Zeno wrote. "They need defense and they could also use a guy with this much athleticism."

Zeno also shouted out a few Kings alums in Trey Lyles and Alex Len, but addressed that Lyles wouldn't fill a direct need like Payton would, as he and Yabusele play similarly as forwards who shoot and play defense with size. While he states that "Len could look for a bigger opportunity after being a hot commodity on last year’s buyout market," the veteran center is unplayable at this stage in his career, as he demonstrated with his brief run with the Los Angeles Lakers.

There are numerous places to turn in filling the Knicks' final opening night roster spot, with Browns' connections possibly buying the team their way to one last reserve contributor.