National Basketball Association

New York Knicks: Main Roster Spots Aren't Yet Locked

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Although there are 15 players signed to guaranteed contracts, the New York Knicks haven’t yet committed to 15 main roster players.

The New York Knicks have 15 players signed to guaranteed contracts. Thus, it stands to reason that Ron Baker, Chasson Randle, and J.P. Tokoto have been brought to training camp in order to compete for a D-League roster spot.

Don’t be so quick to dismiss the possibility of the Knicks eating salary and cutting a player on a guaranteed contract.

New York signed Lou Amundson, Carmelo Anthony, Willy Hernangomez, Justin Holiday, Brandon Jennings, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Courtney Lee, Maurice Ndour, Joakim Noah, Kyle O’Quinn, Marshall Plumlee, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick Rose, Lance Thomas, and Sasha Vujacic to guaranteed contracts.

According to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, head coach Jeff Hornacek outright stated that players signed to guaranteed contracts aren’t ensured a spot on the roster.

“We have a lot of guys under contract, and they’re all fighting for a place,” coach Jeff Hornacek said. “No one’s guaranteed . . . The Knicks organization, I don’t think they’re afraid to cut a guy with a guaranteed contract if there’s another guy that’s better. So these guys are competing every day and there may be one or two of these guys that can make it, so you never know.”

That’s music to Baker, Randle, and Tokoto’s respective ears.

The Knicks have two point guards on the roster in Jennings and Rose. Rose, the starter, has played more than 55 regular season games just once since 2011, and Jennings suffered a ruptured achilles tendon in January of 2015.

Even if both players maintain a clean bill of health in 2016-17, it stands to reason that one or both could sporadically miss games.

Knowing this, Baker and Randle have extraordinary value to the Knicks as facilitating guards. Randle is a point guard with triangle offense experience and Baker is a combo guard cut from the same cloth as coach Hornacek was as a player.

Tokoto is a wing, but he’s a naturally gifted facilitator who averaged 2.0 assists per game during the 2015-16 D-League season and 4.3 assists during his final season at UNC.

It’s entirely possible that the players signed to guaranteed contracts will make the main roster. It’s also possible that New York’s abundance of big men will result in one player being cut in favor of Baker, Randle, or Tokoto.

What’s guaranteed is that nothing is guaranteed.

Baker, Randle, and Tokoto all have a chance to make the main roster.