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Mar 10, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Garrison Mathews (24) on the court prior to the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Waived Knicks Guard Expected to Garner Attention in NBA Free Agency

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Justin Grasso | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 11:45 PM ET

Garrison Mathews is likely headed back to the free agency market.

On Friday night, it was reported that Mathews will be waived ahead of the Saturday deadline. Are the Knicks Mathews’ final destination this season? According to SNY’s Ian Begley, Mathews is expected to gain interest around the NBA.

via @IanBegley: Knicks will waive Garrison Mathews ahead of Saturday’s 5pm deadline, league sources told SNY. Matthews had strong preseason with NY, will draw interest around league from teams looking for shooting. NYK was impressed by Mathews play, but club’s financially restricted by 2nd apron

Knicks will waive Garrison Mathews ahead of Saturday’s 5pm deadline, league sources told SNY. Matthews had strong preseason with NY, will draw interest around league from teams looking for shooting. NYK was impressed by Mathews play, but club’s financially restricted by 2nd apron
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 18, 2025

When the Knicks added Mathews ahead of training camp, he was viewed as a longshot to make the final roster. At the time, the Knicks added a handful of guards, including Landry Shamet and Malcolm Brogdon, who were expected to be roster locks.

The latter player made a shocking decision earlier this week and announced his retirement. That increased the chances of Mathews making the Knicks’ roster. However, the veteran will still see the waiver wire.

Mathews joins a few other Knicks players who have been waived recently. Since October 16, the team parted ways with six players, including Ibrahima Diallo, Romeo Langford, Adama Bal, Isaiah Roby, Donovan Williams, and the now-retired Brogdon.

Mathews has been in the NBA since 2019. He started his career as an undrafted prospect playing for the Washington Wizards. At 23, he played in 18 games, coming off the bench for 12.6 minutes per matchup.

After spending two years with the Wizards, Mathews played for the Houston Rockets. He appeared in 110 games for the Rockets before making his way to the Atlanta Hawks in 2022-2023. Mathews spent three seasons with the Hawks.

Over that three-year span in Atlanta, Mathews appeared in 122 games, seeing the court for 15.6 minutes per matchup. He averaged 5.9 points per game, while shooting 42 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc.

In his four-game run with the Knicks, Mathews saw the court for 13.3 minutes per game. He averaged 6.8 points, while knocking down 41 percent of his threes. Earlier this week, Mathews told reporters what he brings to the table.

“I bring a lot of spacing, and hopefully my space can help,” Mathews said, per Stefan Bondy. “Some of these guys get downhill. We’ve got great ball handlers on the team. So just the gravity I pull from defenders, hopefully it can help those guys out a little bit.”

As teams are still fine-tuning their rosters and making cuts, Mathews will be a name to keep an eye on. If he doesn’t land on an opening-night roster, he could be a targeted player on the open market, considering he brings a valuable skillset to the table.