The New York Knicks could have a way to upgrade their bench this winter.
Knicks could monitor Wizards’ Malcolm Brogdon
Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey named Washington Wizards point guard Malcolm Brogdon as one of the top buyout candidates moving forward. Brogdon would make all the sense in the world for the Knicks to acquire. Tansey laid the precedent for why Washington could move on from him, saying:
“Washington shouldn’t keep both of Brogdon and Smart because there’s just no room for either player,” Tansey wrote.
“To be honest, there hasn’t been much room for Brogdon in the first place during the 2024-25 regular season. He is averaging 24.1 minutes per game across 21 contests.”
“Brogdon only played 17 minutes on Wednesday despite the Wizards’ roster being depleted after the Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valanciunas trades.”
Brogdon could solve many of the Knicks’ issues
The best kind of bench contributor is one who plays like a Sixth Man of the Year. Brogdon has one under his belt from 2023 and is also a 50-40-90 club member. The Virginia product could be a talent capable of giving New York well over the 13.1 PPG he currently averages.
The Knicks don’t have a single bench player putting up double figures in scoring. Brogdon could be that for them, and also a great insurance option should All-Star Jalen Brunson get injured at any point the rest of the way out. He’d revive their league-worst 21.3 bench PPG and add pick-and-roll distribution and top-shelf defense to their ensemble.
The Knicks could run a three-guard, two-big unit of Brogdon, Cam Payne, and Miles McBride as well as centers Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson at the four and five once the lattermost returns from injury. If and when the Georgia native gets bought out, he’ll be a marquee name for New York to closely monitor.