After a rush of re-signings early in the summer, the New York Knicks have had a relatively quiet offseason. But after a slow few weeks, the Knicks came out of nowhere with a flurry of moves, signing five veterans to Exhibit 9 deals.
Given the nature of the deals and the depth of the Knicks' current roster, there's no guarantee that any of these players make a significant impact on the team. The majority of these deals don't pan out to offer much. But that's not always the case.
Alfonozo McKinnie signed an Exhibit 9 deal with the Golden State Warriors in 2018 and went on to play in 72 games that season. Gary Payton II also signed an Exhibit 9 deal with the Warriors three seasons later. And just two years ago, we saw the Knicks do the same with beloved reserve, Landry Shamet , and we all know just how pivotal he was in the Knicks winning their first championship in 53 years.
While it's still unlikely, it's clear that these veterans can still impact teams. But which one of the five recently signed veterans is the most likely to become the next success story?
Many of the players the Knicks signed have a reason for being invited. James Wiseman offers intriguing upside as a former No. 2 overall pick in 2020. But he's dealt with multiple injuries and has had a disappointing career even when healthy.
Drew Eubanks has a high floor thanks to his exceptional positional passing and interior defense. But he's a subpar rebounder and has a low ceiling. The idea of Ochai Agbaji as a depth defender is nice , but he has somehow only shot above 36% in one of his four seasons as a pro. Bruce Brown has long been coveted by the Knicks, but he's missed a lot of games until last year and looked worse than his stats suggest with the Nuggets last season.
Meanwhile, John Konchar may not be a needle-moving move. He may not even end up playing much. But of all the options, which all have limitations, the wing seems the most reasonable. His counting numbers may not look as good as Brown's; he doesn't have Wiseman's potential, and he doesn't impact the Knicks' need for a third-string center like Eubanks can.
Those are all reasons why many believe the Knicks will eventually trade away Pacome Dadiet or Tyler Kolek to make room for two of the aforementioned veterans. But if New York had to pick one guy, Konchar feels like the best option.
Former Memphis Grizzlies guard John Konchar (left) will look to make the New York Knicks' opening night roster on an Exhibit 9 deal. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
He hasn't shot well from three-point range since 2022, and even then, it was on low volume, just 1.8 attempts per game. But Konchar does a lot of other things well.
First off, he's a great defender who can guard multiple positions. The Knicks will likely fall in love with just how elite his defensive metrics look . He boasts great per-36 rates of STOCKS (steals and blocks), and his defensive box plus-minus of +2.0 puts him in a great category.
Konchar is also a great rebounder for his size and position-something the Knicks have clearly prioritized over the last few years. Lastly, Konchar is a good connective passer and has recorded three triple-doubles in his career. Much like a prime Brown was, he's a poor man's version of Hart. Except he's bigger than Brown and plays like it.
Konchar reportedly had other offers, notably from the Heat, Raptors, and Magic. Justifiably so, that led many to believe that he was promised at least a decent shot at making the Knicks' roster. Between that and the fact that he's a defensive Swiss Army knife, a rebounding menace, and just a slight three-point improvement away from stealing minutes from Mohamed Diawara , Konchar has to be the favorite to come out of training camp and be the next Landry Shamet.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/knicks/onsi as Predicting Which New Knicks Signing Becomes Their Next Landry Shamet .
