Robert Sanchez Sat, October 17, 2026 at 9:05 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Knicks were unable to finalize a trade to make room on the roster and were forced to waive guard Bruce Brown ahead of the regular season, the team announced Saturday.
New York liked Brown, who survived preseason cuts following Thursday's preseason finale, but it needed to trade a player on a standard contract to remain below the second apron if it wanted to keep both Brown and James Wiseman -- the final roster spot selection.
Unfortunately, the Knicks couldn't find a trade partner.
It wasn't for a lack of trying, though. SNY's Ian Begley reported earlier in the week that New York would "explore all avenues" to keep Brown and Wiseman and mentioned that it was "logical to assume" that Pacome Dadiet would be a player the Knicks would try to move. Tyler Kolek 's name was also mentioned as a possible trade candidate.
Since New York couldn't send any money in a deal, it needed to include draft picks (the Knicks have 11 second-round picks over the next seven drafts). But even that substantial capital wasn't enough to make a trade, which meant New York had to say goodbye to Brown.
In theory, the Knicks could still make a trade after the first game and then bring Brown back. But for the season opener, Brown will not be a Knick
Brown, 30, has played eight NBA seasons with six different teams, most recently with the Denver Nuggets, where he averaged 7.9 points and 2.1 assists in 24.4 minutes per game. In preseason with the Knicks, the veteran saw action in three games (one start) and totaled 11 points, five rebounds and three assists across 38 minutes on the court.
Wiseman saw action in four preseason games with the Knicks and combined for 32 points and 17 rebounds in 46 minutes. He also added three blocks. His best game came in his lone start against the Toronto Raptors, where he had a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) in 24 minutes.
A former No. 2 overall pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 2020 NBA Draft, Wiseman got off to a strong start with the Warriors before a severe knee injury cost him a year and a half and derailed his career. He returned to Golden State in 2022-23 in a much more limited role before he was traded to the Detroit Pistons, where he excelled once again for the remainder of the season.
Following another year with the Pistons as a bench player, Wiseman joined the Indiana Pacers but tore his Achilles in the first game of the season and was out for the year. Last season, Wiseman played in just four games.
Still, at just 25 years old, the Knicks saw potential in the 6-foot-11 big man and signed him to an Exhibit 9 contract prior to training camp and he impressed enough during the preseason to beat out players like Drew Eubanks and Tony Bradley .
Source: Sports
