Knicks' Strange Silence on Two-Way Front Actually Makes a Lot of Sense

Despite a busy free agency for the Knicks, one tool at their disposal they haven't utilized yet is their two-way contract slots. This kind of deal is the perfect avenue to bring in a young player the team likes and wants to develop, without committing or infringing on their salary cap.

In fact, New York is the only franchise without a two-way under contract yet, per Hoops Rumors' updated tracker. That's a curious decision given the need for as much center help as the team can get, along with there being two Knicks rookies still yet to be signed.

However, reading between the lines, the delay on the two-way spots could point to a bigger frontcourt move being worked on.

Knicks' ongoing center search needs resolution before making two-way signings

Simply put, there's little reason for New York not to have secured a two-way talent yet while operating under financial constraints.

Fresh off a championship, the Knicks should have few troubles finding a motivated young center who'd jump at the chance to develop with the team between the G-League and up to 50 NBA appearances next season.

Summer League gave New York one in-house option to consider in Liam Robbins, who possesses alluring size and a shot-blocking emphasis. There's also 2025-26 two-way center Trey Jemison, who could be re-signed and provide familiar depth after spending the entire season with the Knicks.

Additionally, draft picks Jack Kayil and Tyler Nickel both proved themselves worthy of being signed to at least a two-way deal with their Summer League performances. Kayil does have the potential to be stashed overseas, but Nickel's three-point marksmanship is something New York should be itching to have officially under contract in some way.

Despite all of this, the Knicks have been quiet on the two-way front. They've even distanced themselves from 2025-26 two-way player Kevin McCullar Jr., who was absent from Summer League.

A potential explanation for this silence is that New York is still plotting a bigger center addition and thus wants to keep its two-way slots open for now before seeing how the big man hunt shakes out.

This would make a ton of sense. The Knicks have already sniffed around premium backup trade targets in both the Hornets' Moussa Diabata and the Pelicans' Yves Missi. Despite nothing materializing, Charlotte (Ryan Kalkbrenner) and New Orleans (Karlo Matkovic) also have bigs behind those two that New York could work on acquiring.

Then there's the free-agent market, which, while picked over at this point, still has a promising target in Nick Richards. But after making $5 million this past season and finishing the year strong (9.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg across 20 games with the Bulls), it'd be no surprise if he's been unwilling so far to accept a minimum to join New York.

If Richards isn't likely to be added, that'd leave the Knicks parsing through who's left in free agency to determine the best fit. Kevin Love, Dwight Powell, Bismack Biyombo, and Mason Plumlee are all names that once held huge to good value, but that's not quite the case in the summer of 2026.

Drew Eubanks, Tony Bradley, Drew Timme, and Christian Koloko are some of the less-proven options who could also interest New York as simple training-camp invites. Yet they could be holding out for a legitimate contract, or just aren't desperate enough to settle at this time.

Whether the Knicks' next move is a center trade or a center free-agent signing, both are going to require time to sort out.

With a trade, it's unlikely New York is finding any partners willing to help the defending champs out. Though as the season approaches and franchises get a better idea of where they could use changes, a deal could become possible.

Meanwhile, on the free-agent side, the market's been more robust for backups, so those remaining can try to wait for better offers, with big man help becoming more premium. There are also likely a few players who don't see much opportunity with Andre Drummond and Karl-Anthony Towns already in tow, so they may not be too interested in the Big Apple.

Both of these work against the Knicks' favor. But they can try to use their current assets (cache of second-round picks, Miles McBride) to pull off a trade, or their premium position (huge market to rebuild value, increased attention post-title) to try to lure a cheap free agent.

So while the Knicks' two-way inactivity sticks out compared to the rest of the league, the fact is they're also operating in a different context than everyone else after winning the Finals. With the pressure to defend and a major need at center still, canvassing all potential solutions is of the utmost importance during this quieter part of the offseason.

That leaves the two-way holes as a clear second priority, and even a hindrance if the team fills them instead of being patient to truly maximize their few remaining roster spots. New York could still land some promising two-way players despite waiting, since there are fewer teams in the hunt now for these types of contracts but plenty of options still available.

Add us as a preferred source on Google