Trying to Make Sense of Knicks Missing Out on Julian Reese

Since he was released, big man Julian Reese and the Knicks appeared to be a fantastic match. With three two-way spots open, New York could've added a promising young talent in Reese, while offering him a great place to continue his encouraging developmental prospects.

Yet, after weeks of inactivity on this front, the dream is now over. Reese has agreed to sign with the Pelicans on a two-way deal, removing one of the only truly alluring options from the board.

The New Orleans Pelicans are signing Julian Reese to a two-way deal, agents Yann Balikouzou and Kevin Bradbury of @LIFTSPORTSMNGMT told @hoopshype. Reese averaged 11.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and shot 52.9% from the field in 13 games for the Wizards last season. pic.twitter.com/b1mkKQcj8G
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) September 24, 2026

At first glance, it doesn't make a lot of sense for the Knicks to let Reese slip away. However, there could be a few explanations as they fine-tune their roster ahead of opening night.

Looking at why a Knicks-Julian Reese signing didn't come to fruition

The cleanest answer is that New York might not have been all that high on Reese. Yes, he certainly had some eye-catching performances to end the 2025-26 campaign—including an 18-point, 20-rebound showing and averages of 11.8 ppg/10.5 rpg—but these also happened on a tanking Wizards team that won just a single game out of the 13 appearances Reese made for them.

Being able to impress on a bad team is a much better sign than struggling, but it doesn't mean those results will translate to a much higher-intensity setting, which the Knicks will be in all year long as defending champs.

There's also the fact that Reese is someone who plays bigger than his actual size at only 6-foot-9. Given the team's embrace of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, and then replacing the latter with the similarly towering Andre Drummond, it seems they have a preference when it comes to center height.

Just look at who Leon Rose has brought in for training camp, too. There's the seven-foot Liam Robbins, 6-foot-11 James Wiseman and 6-foot-10 Drew Eubanks. Though Eubanks is closer to Reese, he also has eight years of being a serviceable NBA big, which eliminates the questions that still surround Reese with his potentially flawed 13-game sample size.

Speaking of Robbins, it's more than possible that New York already has the center it wants to bring in on a two-way contract under its roof. There's familiarity there after he played for the Knicks in Summer League, plus the strong couple of games he had for them that provide hope for this partnership blossoming with more time spent on his development.

In Robbins, the team also has someone who's likely more than happy (based on his comments in Vegas) to just be part of the ride in whatever way possible. This eases any concerns about not having a large role or a main roster spot to commit to him anytime soon, making him the perfect kind of player to have in a two-way slot.

"I'm someone who can come in, give good energy, play D and play The Knick Way…championship effort"

–– Center prospect Liam Robbins to @CassidyHubbarth as Knicks get 1st summer W:

🫈15 points
🫈6-13 FG
🫈1 three
🫈5 boards
🫈3 offensive
🫈3 assists
🫈2 steals
🫈4 blocks pic.twitter.com/yWSGuLmX84
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) July 13, 2026

However, the same might not be true with Reese, who's surely hungry to earn a larger opportunity at the NBA level after showcasing his skills at the end of last campaign.

That would make Reese a trickier fit in New York with both Towns and Drummond entrenched already at center. Being part of the defending champs would give Reese plenty of attention, but the minutes almost assuredly would be a disappointment.

Meanwhile, New Orleans is very much in a state of flux as a whole, so Reese has a much better chance of playing himself into a featured rotation role (or even more) with the Pels than the Knicks. That provides a strong reason on its own for Reese to choose the Pelicans over New York, even if he had an offer to land in the Big Apple.

Connected to this, it's more than plausible that signing Reese didn't align with Rose's apparent vision to maintain roster flexibility for the Knicks throughout this season. Reese is more of the kind of two-way player who earns a main roster promotion and a standard contract at some point in the year, rather than spending the entire campaign shuttling between the G League and the NBA.

Rose likely doesn't want to box himself into needing to make that happen with anyone he adds on a two-way deal, as he juggles keeping room for possible upgrades and staying under the second apron. So while Reese might’ve been an immediate talent boost, he also could've complicated New York's meticulous roster planning for the season ahead.

It certainly does feel like a missed opportunity for the Knicks to not ultimately come away with Reese on board, but this could just be another sacrifice New York believed was required as it looks ahead to the year.

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