Knicks weighing options to keep both James Wiseman, Bruce Brown on roster
· Yahoo Sports
The Knicks’ regular-season roster is taking shape. The only remaining question is: will there be room for Bruce Brown?
Brown and James Wiseman have made it through preseason cuts. The Knicks clearly like both players. But New York only has room under the second apron in team salary to keep one player. In order to keep both Brown and Wiseman, the Knicks would need to trade a player on a standard contract without taking back salary.
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My read heading into the weekend: Wiseman is a lock to make the roster. There is strong support to add Brown as well. The Knicks would need to make a trade by Monday afternoon if they want to keep Brown. I think they will explore all avenues to make that happen.
It's logical to assume that the Knicks will move third-year wing Pacome Dadiet. But I believe New York will explore other deals — including trades involving third-year guard Tyler Kolek — this weekend and Monday.
The Knicks will be asking teams to take on a player without sending back salary. To get a deal done, New York may need to attach its own second-round picks (New York will have at least 11 second-round picks in the next seven drafts).
Something worth noting here: multiple teams (Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and others) are trying to attach second-round picks to work through a roster crunch. So the Knicks have competition in that regard. But given their plethora of second-rounders, they have the draft capital to get a deal done.
Here's what Knicks head coach Mike Brown likes about the veteran combo guard:
“Bruce has been through a lot with a lot of different teams at a pretty high level,” Brown said of the NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets. “His toughness, his experience, his feel, all those things — he's a winner. It seems like every place he's gone, he's won, but all those things can add a lot to the program, and then he's versatile both ends of the floor. He could play a few different positions offensively; he can guard a few different positions defensively. So a guy like that, especially a veteran winner, can be helpful to any team.”
Here’s what Brown likes about Wiseman:
“He's young, he's talented, you know, he's raw, still. I think he's still trying to establish a foothold in this league,” Brown said of the former No. 2 overall pick. “But with the God-given attributes he has, in terms of athleticism and length and quickness, [they] can bode well for him on both ends of the floor. And at 25 years old, he hasn't even reached his prime, especially knowing he hadn't played a ton of basketball; having a vertical threat at the rim will help [the Knicks], or could help everybody else play the game a little bit easier, whether it's driving the basketball or playing pick and roll.”