Knicks Make Decision on Which Two-Way Options to Guarantee

The New York Knicks had to make some end-of-roster decisions this week. Jan. 7 marked the deadline for NBA teams to determine which 10-day or two-way contracts will be guaranteed over the course of the remainder of the season, resulting in a litany of releases.

That leaves a few fringe Knicks floating while upper management parses through its options, and they've made most of their decisions clear going forward.

New York is electing to move on from Tosan Evbuomwan after five games with the team, but they are holding onto Trey Jemison III. More proven options in Kevin McCullar Jr. and Landry Shamet will likely be around for the long haul as well.

The contracts of Landry Shamet and Kevin McCullar will be guaranteed if they’re not waived today. Fully expect the Knicks to keep them. If Knicks want McCullar eligible for the playoffs, they’ll eventually have to convert him to a standard contract. He’s currently on a 2-way. https://t.co/F0Vd8Lbvb5
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) January 7, 2026

Prioritizing Prospects and Pieces

McCullar and Shamet aren't exactly putting the franchise in a bind, having each proven themselves as worthy receivers of Mike Brown's minutes.

Shamet's excellence as an energetic reserve has already been mostly forgotten in the seven weeks since he departed the lineup with a shoulder injury, having yet to stake his return to the Knicks, but his effort-filled defense and revitalized shooting touch were huge in helping the Knicks' strong November. Now that they're slumping, his contributions are even more missed.

McCullar didn't come on until well after Shamet's shoulder popped out of its socket, and he's leveraged open minute opportunities to look increasingly like a poor man's Josh Hart. The older sophomore shows his maturity by knowing his role, playing versatile team-defense and playing hard enough to earn 13 minutes per game over the Knicks' last six.

New York Knicks Guard Kevin McCullar Jr. — Jan 3, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (9) lies on the court after a turnover in the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

He has a lot more meaningful reps with the team than his other two-way counterparts, with Jemison having only one more game under his belt than Evbuomwan did, but the Knicks valued his slightly-more-experienced center play amidst their struggles in locating bench guys qualified to play in the interior.

Jemison is in his final year of two-way eligibility, having now appeared on five teams across two and a half seasons. He's mostly been constrained to garbage time in New York, making it that much harder to elaborate how statistically helpful he's been to the depths of their operation, but per-36 minute numbers seem to like his rebounding and, as of recent, his scoring efficiency. He's yet to miss a shot with the 2025-26 Knicks, having gone a perfect 3-3 from the field.

While Evbuomwan will have to find one more opportunity before his own two-way window expired before the season's end, the Knicks drew that much closer to finalizing their contending roster, at least until trade season upends any balance.

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