- Oct 16, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Team logos and player headshots via ESPN.
James Wiseman has secured a place on the New York Knicks' opening night roster, beating out several competitors for the team's final vacancy. The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft outlasted John "Jitty" Konchar, Ochai Agbaji, Tony Bradley and Bruce Brown to make the defending champions' squad.
Wiseman, 25, joins as the third center behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond. His path to the roster was aided when fellow center Drew Eubanks tore a pectoral muscle and was waived.
The 25-year-old's career has been marked by setbacks. His rookie season with Golden State was pandemic-shortened without a training camp, and a meniscus tear ended that year and cost him his entire sophomore campaign. The Warriors traded him to Detroit in 2023 to shed salary, and he tore his Achilles in his first game with Indiana in 2024. Wiseman has played 152 games across six NBA seasons.
Knicks coach Mike Brown, who previously coached Wiseman with the Warriors, called him a "fantastic human being." New York faces tight financial constraints and needs adequate backup center play, with more production viewed as a significant bonus. Jalen Brunson was mentioned as a potential on-court pairing with upside.
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).