The New York Knicks made a flurry of moves before their final preseason game. They waived Ochai Agbaji, Tony Bradley, and Drew Eubanks, who suffered a torn pectoral muscle that will sideline him indefinitely. The team currently has enough financial wiggle room to add one veteran minimum deal.
Bruce Brown and James Wiseman are sticking around on non-guaranteed deals. While the 25-year -old Wiseman has impressed and Brown has supporters within New York's front office, there's also a chance that, as rosters churn, Leon Rose finds an option he likes outside the organization.
There will be plenty of movement on the margins in the days before the start of the new season on Oct. 20. Teams will have to trim things down to 15 standard contracts or less, and there are still four teams - the Bucks, Hornets, Grizzlies, and Lakers - currently above the league-mandated minimum.
1. Moussa Cisse
Rose took a worthwhile under-the-radar swing by trying to poach Cisse, who was a restricted free agent this summer, from Dallas. The contract New York tried to sneak past the goalie was so cheap that it was an easy call for the Mavericks to match, even with their glut of big men.
By matching, Cisse has a no-trade clause, and Dallas wouldn’t be able to trade him to New York for a year. Dallas has 15 fully guaranteed deals on their books, and Cisse's 2026-27 salary became guaranteed on Oct. 1.
However, there's been chatter about longtime Maverick Dwight Powell, who is in camp on a non-guaranteed deal, making the roster. Dallas could create a roster spot via trade, but such an approach could be tricky to execute so close to Opening Night. So perhaps the Knicks' dream of Cisse isn't totally dead yet.
2. Jericho Sims
Sims opted into his $2.8 million player option for next season, but the Bucks might opt out of his services. Milwaukee has 17 players on standard deals and an overflow of big men. In a post Giannis Antetokounmpo world, the Bucks are entering a rebuild and it's likely that the former Knick is the odd man out.
As Knicks fans already know, Sims can sop up regular season minutes. The 27-year-old averaged a career-high 19.9 minutes last year, while chipping in 5.0 points and 5.5 rebounds. There are rumors about the Lakers being interested in a swap for Dalton Knecht, per NBA Insider Jake Fischer (h/t Dunk Central on Twitter).
3. Micah Peavy
Peavy, who was drafted 40th overall last summer, saw action in 61 games (four starts) for the Pelicans. He was traded to the Grizzlies due to a roster crunch, and he is once again on a roster bubble.
Although his counting stats don’t look great, there’s a reason why he logged 61 games played last season, and that reason was his defense. The Pelicans' defensive rating was +1.8 better when Peavy played his 743 minutes, per NBA.com.
One of Peavy's major knocks, however, is his outside shooting ability. He shot 25.9% from long distance. But when his minutes increased in his final games, the 25-year-old went 7-for-17 from three. He's an intriguing 3-and-D project.
4. Oscar Tshiebwe
Tshiebwe is on a non-guaranteed deal with the Rockets. Despite being undersized at 6-foot-8, Tshiebwe is known for his rebounding prowess. In 49 NBA games, Tshiebwe's per-36 averages are 15.3 rebounds and a whopping 6.3 offensive boards.
The 26-year-old spent the last two years on a two-way deal with Utah, and he maintains his eligibility for the season ahead. In the final two games of the 2025-26 campaign, Tshiebwe flashed his potential, averaging 22.5 points and 19.5 rebounds in over 30 minutes of action.
5. Micah Potter
The Blazers claimed Potter off waivers from Indiana over the summer. The 6-foot-9 big man is on a non-guaranteed contract with a full guarantee expected to come on Jan. 10, 2027, which leaves him a potential cut candidate.
In 47 games with the Pacers last season, the 28-year-old averaged a career-high 9.7 points and 5.0 rebounds. He also shot 42.3% from long distance on 3.6 attempts per game. His ability to play both power forward and center makes him a versatile player that coach Mike Brown could shift around.
6. Dwight Powell
As we mentioned earlier, Powell is in camp with Dallas and hopes to earn his way back with the franchise that he's spent all but five games of his career with. The 35-year-old fan favorite hasn’t averaged more than 15 minutes a game since 2022-23, but he's a pro's pro.
Dallas could decide it's too difficult to open a roster spot for the aging veteran, and perhaps the idea of chasing a championship in New York could sway him to continue playing elsewhere. It helps that he's also familiar with Jalen Brunson.
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