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Knicks Notes: Jack Kayil to play overseas this season; what's next for Tyler Nickel
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- Knicks Notes: Jack Kayil to play overseas this season; what's next for Tyler Nickel
Knicks second-round pick Jack Kayilannounced on Friday that he will play this coming season overseas rather than sign an NBA contract to join New York .
"The NBA remains my big dream – and Alba is just the right place for me to continue on this path," said Kayil, selected 39th overall by the Knicks in the 2026 NBA Draft.
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The 20-year-old guard showed promise during the NBA Summer League. But it was always going to be difficult for New York to sign Kayil to a standard NBA contract while also remaining under the second apron in team salary. Kayil was eligible for a two-way contract, but he would have had to pay the buyout of his contract with Alba Berlin and also would have had to accept a significant pay cut to sign the two-way contract.
The plan heading into free agency was that Kayil would remain overseas this season to develop his game. The benefit of a large playing role overseas – and the Knicks' financial limitations – outweighed the opportunity to be in the NBA this season.
With Kayil heading overseas, the Knicks have just 13 players under contract. They also have three spots for two-way players.
New York's other second round pick – Tyler Nickel– also remains unsigned. There are reports that Nickel is considering going back to college, but league sources say he is all in on starting his pro career. Nickel is eligible to return to college in 2026-27 thanks to a recent ruling allowing players in Nickel's class to return to school.
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Nickel could presumably make much more money in NIL deals than he would make on a two-way contract. The Knicks could sign Nickel to a standard NBA deal via the second-round exception, but if they did that, they would not have enough money to sign a third center on a veteran's minimum contract.
The Knicks targeted Mavs center Moussa Cisse for this role, but the Mavs matched New York's offer to Cisse in restricted free agency. Prior to signing Cisse to an offer sheet, New York pursued multiple trades for centers.
In recent weeks, the Knicks have also been in touch with several free agent centers who could fill the third center role. Logic tells you that if they wanted to sign one of these centers on a guaranteed one-year deal, the Knicks would have done so already.
The Knicks have enough room to add eight players on training camp contracts. If they don't trade for a third center or sign a center who gets unexpectedly waived due to a roster crunch, you can expect the Knicks to bring in multiple veteran centers to compete for the third center spot.
