Knicks Sign James Wiseman, Bruce Brown to Exhibit 9 Contracts

The defending champion New York Knicks will have several veterans competing for roster spots on non-guaranteed deals.

by John Sparaco

Sep 16, 2026

James Wiseman of the New York Knicks.

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The defending champion New York Knicks are bringing plenty of competition to training camp.

On Wednesday, the Knicks announced that they had signed James Wiseman, Bruce Brown and Ochai Agbaji to Exhibit 9 contracts. The team also confirmed the signings of forward John Konchar and center Drew Eubanks, which were reported by SNY’s Ian Begley on Tuesday.

Wiseman, 25, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-11 center’s career got off to a promising start, as he averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds over his first 39 games with the Golden State Warriors. His rookie campaign was cut short by a torn meniscus, which subsequently sidelined him for the entire 2021-22 season.

Since returning from that injury, Wiseman has played in just 113 NBA games. He tore his left Achilles tendon in the Indiana Pacers’ 2024-25 season opener and was waived last December following a brief return to the lineup. Through six seasons, he holds career averages of 9.0 points on 56 percent shooting and 5.5 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game over 152 contests (56 starts).

Knicks head coach Mike Brown was with the Warriors during Wiseman’s first two NBA seasons, so there is already some familiarity. The former top draft choice will be competing with Eubanks for the Knicks’ third center spot behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond.

Brown, 30, is an eight-year veteran and one-time NBA champion. He played in all 82 games for the Denver Nuggets last season, averaging 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.4 minutes per game. The 6-foot-4 guard plays bigger than his size, similar to Josh Hart, and has been praised around the league as a glue guy who can contribute on both ends of the court.

Agbaji, 26, split last season between the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors. The 2022 first-round pick holds career averages of 7.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.1 minutes per game over 263 career contests (108 starts). He will be in direct competition with Bruce Brown and Konchar on the wing.

An Exhibit 9 contract is a non-guaranteed deal that converts to a standard one-year minimum contract if the player makes an opening-night roster. It can become fully guaranteed at any point between the time it is signed and the league-wide guarantee deadline on Jan. 10.

The Knicks are currently at 13 standard NBA contracts. Teams are allowed up to 15, though they only have room for one more deal to stay under the second apron. Unless a trade frees up enough cap space to keep two of these veterans, New York will have to choose between holding onto a big man or a wing.

New York took a similar approach a year ago, letting Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon and Garrison Matthews compete for the final roster spot on non-guaranteed deals. Shamet ultimately won the camp battle and went on to play a meaningful role in the team’s championship run.