The Knicks Won a Title on a Training Camp Flyer. Now They're Running the Trick Again.

The New York Knicks spent the middle of September doing something that looks, on paper, like a rebuilding team's busywork: signing veterans to non-guaranteed camp deals and letting them fight over scraps.

Except the Knicks aren't rebuilding. They're the defending NBA champions, coming off a 54-29 season and a 4-1 Finals win over San Antonio that ended a 53-year drought. And they're running the same play that helped them win it.

On Sept. 16, New York added a deep class of camp bodies — Bruce Brown, James Wiseman, John Konchar and Drew Eubanks among them, with Igor Milicic arriving on an Exhibit 10 and the front office reportedly still keeping tabs on veteran center Tony Bradley. Reports differ slightly on the exact shape of the opening (Yahoo framed it as one roster spot; The Athletic described competition for one of two open spots), but the premise is identical either way: a crowd of established names chasing a thin slice of guaranteed money and minutes behind a set rotation.

Why this matters more than it sounds

CBS Sports noted the obvious parallel. Last season, the Knicks mined Landry Shamet out of a similar camp battle, and that addition mattered on a title run. Training camp flyers are usually noise. In New York, one just became a rotation piece on a championship team.

That's the standard the new group is being measured against, and it's a real opportunity rather than a courtesy. New York's core — headlined by Jalen Brunson, who averaged 26.0 points and 6.8 assists across 75 games last season — is set. The Knicks finished 2025 with the league's second-best net rating at 8.2, trailing only Oklahoma City's 10.6, and posted a plus-6.4 point differential on 116.5 points per game. That's a roster with a high floor and almost no room at the top. What it needs is the 8th and 9th men who can survive a playoff series without bleeding points.

The candidates, by the numbers

Brown is the most credible name in the pile. He played all 82 games last season at 24.3 minutes a night, averaging 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and a steal while shooting 47.5% from the floor and 38.5% from three. That's a plug-and-play guard/wing who doesn't need the ball — precisely the profile that survives on a contender.

Wiseman is the lottery ticket. The former No. 2 overall pick managed just four games and 14.8 minutes per appearance last season, though he shot 60% when he was on the floor. Multiple outlets framed the Knicks as uniquely positioned to develop him without the pressure Golden State once carried, and one Warriors-focused piece argued Kevon Looney's decision to sign with the Lakers indirectly reopened this door. On a team with no developmental urgency, Wiseman is a free swing.

Konchar brings a different skill: 1.5 steals and 4.3 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game last season, plus a 28.3% three-point mark that explains why he's available. Eubanks shot 59.6% in a 42-game, 13.2-minute role — a functional third center.

The counterargument

Not everyone in town loves the approach. One local outlet argued the Knicks can't count on striking camp gold twice, given the calibre of names available, and another raised the broader concern that essentially running it back invites a repeat of what happened to Oklahoma City. Both are fair warnings. Depth auditions have a low hit rate; last year's hit is the exception, not the rule.

What it means for the season

New York's market baseline reflects a team expected to be very good but not overwhelming — a 52.5 win total with the under carrying the slightly heavier price. The home opener arrives Oct. 20 against Philadelphia, where secondary-market ticket prices have reportedly started at $1,314 and climbed past $36,000, a reminder of how loud the building will be.

None of that gets decided in late September. But the Knicks clearly believe the last seat on the bench is worth a fight — because last time, that's exactly where a title run found one of its answers.