Five players, five contracts, one roster spot. The New York Knicks have signed James Wiseman, Bruce Brown, John Konchar, Drew Eubanks, and Ochai Agbaji to their preseason camp, which begins September 28. All will compete for the same position, as despite having two open roster spots, the defending champions' salary situation allows them to fill only one.
What is an Exhibit 9?
It's worth distinguishing it from the Exhibit 10, which we've been seeing in the market for weeks. An Exhibit 9 is a non-guaranteed one-year contract whose primary function is to protect the team against a player injury during the preseason. If the player makes the roster for the first game, it automatically converts to a standard one-year minimum contract, which can become fully guaranteed at any time until January 10.
In other words: none of the five has anything guaranteed, but whoever stays will do so with a roster contract, not a G League agreement.
The Apron Math
Here's the key to why they're signing five for one spot. The Knicks have thirteen standard contracts and the limit is fifteen, but they can only add one more if they want to stay below the second apron. To add two, they would have to trade someone from the current roster.
It's the same restriction we've been discussing for days: the NBA champion is one of the teams with the least maneuvering room in the entire league.
What Each Brings
Bruce Brown is the name with the most solid track record. Champion with Denver in 2023, he played all 82 games last season with the Nuggets, averaging 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, with a 38.5 percent three-point percentage. His profile is practically that of Josh Hart.
John Konchar arrives after being waived by Minnesota. The 2025-26 season, split between Memphis and Utah, left him with 4.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 steals in 19.9 minutes, though with a weak 28.3 percent from three compared to 34.9 for his career.
Ochai Agbaji is the most contradictory case. 14th pick in the 2022 draft, he split last season between Toronto and Brooklyn, and in his 20 games with the Nets averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds with a 21.7 percent three-point percentage. His shooting has collapsed, but he remains one of the league's best individual defenders: in the previous season he had averaged 10.4 points with the Raptors.
Drew Eubanks brings interior experience. He played 42 games with Sacramento with 5.2 points and 3 rebounds.
James Wiseman is the big name and the most uncertain. 2nd pick in the 2020 draft, behind Anthony Edwards, and champion with the Warriors in 2022, he has played just 152 games across six seasons due to a succession of injuries: meniscus tear in his rookie year, an entire season lost, knee problems, and an Achilles tendon rupture. Last season he signed a 10-day contract with Indiana and played three games, 37 minutes total.
His per-36-minute averages—17.2 points and 10.6 rebounds—explain why there's still confidence in him. His 152 games in six years explain why he arrives this way.
What Gets Decided
The breakdown is simple: Brown, Konchar, and Agbaji compete for the perimeter spot, where behind OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart there's little depth. Eubanks and Wiseman compete to be the third center.
The camp begins September 28. Four of the five will be left without a spot.