Knicks HC Tom Thibodeau - Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports
With the NBA season less than two weeks away, the New York Knicks organization has to be optimistic about their current moves.
This offseason, the message was clear: Get more big men to complement their skilled, sharp-shooting guards. Like a “Genie in a Bottle,” the message was well sent.
Yet the question remains: Who will the Knicks have opening night on their starting roster?
Knicks Starting Roster
With the Knicks just having 12 current players on their roster, they are short of the NBA standard.
However, they are two players away from having the required 14 on contracts.
In addition, they signed some new players to training camp contracts: TJ Warren, Damion Baugh, and Alex O’Connell, and they re-signed Chuma Okeke.
The one caveat with the Knicks is their financial situation. The team is only $3.5 million from being hard-capped at the second tax apron.
Nevertheless, the Knicks are limited to adding one experienced player to a standard deal.
Whoever they go with to fill their last spot, it will leave the team with an available two-way role.
Who Will be the 13th Guy?
Team president Leon Rose will make the final call on who will fill that spot.
Still, the Knicks need to upgrade their guard depth with someone looking for an opportunity to help the team.
Shooting Guard Landry Shamet is projected to make the 13th roster spot due to his style of play.
The sharpshooter from the Washington Wizards can drain from long range and was 3-5 in his first preseason game with the squad.
Of course, he has to earn this spot, so we’ll monitor his performance throughout the rest of the preseason.
The Number 14 Spot
The caveat here is that the NBA permits its teams to hold at least 14 players on their contracts. The fine print says that the reinvented CBA has permitted squads to go at most 14 for 30 days. It even graces this for two straight weeks.
With limited money to spend, the Knicks are expected to start the season with 13 players.
After the allotted two-week span, they can advance either Ariel Hukporti or Kevin McCullar, Jr.
Both players have first-year salaries of $1.19 million, that would be prorated to the number of days less.
This spot will be won by either 7’0″, 247 lb. German big Hukporti (the more logical choice due to his size) or 6’6″, 205 lb. guard McCullar.
In other words, both players are at least NBA G-League eligible, so one will make the team as a rookie while the other will earn pro seasoning in the NBA’s top minor league.
Hukporti might make the roster now because the Knicks are losing current OKC 7’0″ big Isaiah Hartenstein. He, too, is a big center who would add more size to the Knicks bigs.
While McCullar is tall and a sharpshooter, the Knicks already have enough guards on their roster.
Therefore, this will give McCullar pro experience playing with the Westchester Knicks and give him a body of work to start his path to the NBA.
Who do you think will be on their starting roster this season?
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