Surprising Frontrunner Emerges For Knicks’ Final Roster Spot

The New York Knicks signed multiple veterans to Exhibit 9 contracts this summer, and a surprising favorite has emerged among them for their 14th (and likely final) roster spot. The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy reports James Wiseman has become the “frontrunner” with his training camp exploits.

“Wiseman has impressed in camp, according to witnesses, and should be the favorite…w an important caution: They still have to play preseason,” Bondy wrote, via New York Basketball.

The Knicks had initially signed Wiseman, Bruce Brown Jr., Drew Eubanks, John Konchar, and Ochai Agbaji to training camp contracts. Konchar was just waived on Wednesday as he is attending to a personal matter, and Tony Bradley was then brought in.

Now, when you looked at those names, Brown seemed like the obvious pick. Bondy mentioned, though, that the Knicks are prioritizing a center, which means Wiseman, Eubanks, or Bradley are likely getting the final spot. The team could add a 15th player as well, but that would push them into the second apron, and owner James Dolan has made it clear that won’t happen.

Wiseman is winning that battle of the big men as of now, which is quite interesting. The Golden State Warriors, of course, selected him with the No.2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Memphis, but he didn’t live up to expectations.

Injuries were part of the reason why, with Wiseman notably missing his sophomore season with a meniscus injury and then tearing his Achilles in 2024 while playing for the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers then traded the 25-year-old to the Toronto Raptors in February 2025, but then brought him back on a two-year deal in July.

Wiseman was waived in October, though, and only briefly returned on a 10-day contract in December. He made just four appearances in 2025-26 and put up 3.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Pacers.

You might have thought that could be the end of Wiseman’s time in the NBA. He deserves credit for still fighting hard for a spot.

Mike Brown Has Spoken Glowingly Of James Wiseman

While Wiseman is in new surroundings with the Knicks, there is a notable familiar face with the team. Knicks head coach Mike Brown was an assistant for the Warriors from 2016 to 2022. Brown has worked with Wiseman and was asked at training camp whether they have kept in touch and what he has seen from him in the gym.

“We didn’t stay in touch where we call each other or anything like that, but whenever we saw each other, we obviously acknowledged one another,” Brown said, via the Knicks. “And he’s fantastic human being, fantastic young man. And it was one of the things where I’m sure he wanted the best for me, and I definitely wanted the best for him.

“It’s good to see him in the gym,” Brown continued. “And when you’re that long and that athletic with skill, there’s a place for you in this league, and sometimes it takes the right moment, the right team, the right situation, all that stuff, to be able to fit someplace and grow. And we have a lot of great guys in camp that have the potential of impacting us in a lot of different ways throughout the course of the year, and he’s definitely one of the many guys that we have that we’re excited about.”

Wiseman is today regarded as one of the biggest busts in modern NBA history. While that label is unlikely to go away, he still can go on to have a respectable NBA career. Here’s hoping Wiseman puts his best foot forward in preseason, and the Knicks will be in action first against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.