Six Candidates for the Knicks Final Roster Spot

Since trading Obi Toppin to the Pacers and then officially signing Donte DiVincenzo to a four-year, $47 million contract in early July, the Knicks have made only minor moves on the margins.

They inked Nathan Knight and Dylan Windler to two-way contracts and waived Trevor Keels. New York later signed Duane Washington Jr. to a training camp deal and added Dmytro Skapintsev and Obadiah Noel via Exhibit 10 pacts.

The Knicks currently have 14 players under contract for the 2023-24 campaign: Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, Josh Hart, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Donte DiVincenzo, Evan Fournier, Isaiah Hartenstein, Immanuel Quickley, Jericho Sims, Miles McBride, Isaiah Roby and DaQuan Jeffries. The first 12 have guaranteed deals, while the final two contracts (those belonging to Roby and Jefferies) are non-guaranteed.

Thus, the Knicks can sign at least one more player to a guaranteed contract between now and opening night (they must enter the season with at least 14 players on their roster).

So, who might the Knicks consider adding before the start of training camp next month? There are quite a few interesting options left on the open market, as some talented players have slipped through the free-agent cracks.

🏀 Justise Winslow:

Winslow was a highly touted prospect coming out of Duke in 2015, and many pundits predicted greatness for the Blue Devil when the Heat snagged him with the 10th overall pick. However, despite playing relatively well for Miami, he never met expectations in South Beach. He's battled injuries and inconsistency the past few seasons, bouncing from Memphis to LA to Portland. Last year with the Blazers, he appeared in 29 games, including 11 starts, and averaged 6.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.8 minutes per game before being sidelined for the season in December due to an ankle injury that later required surgery.

Winslow is still just 27 years old (he won't turn 28 until next March) and has been impactful when healthy, especially on the defensive end. The Knicks' most significant need is a backup power forward behind Randle, and although he's a bit undersized, Winslow has logged most of his minutes at PF the past two seasons. He'd be a low-risk signing if willing to settle for the veteran's minimum ($2.8 million).