As the reigning NBA Champions, it comes as no surprise that the New York Knicks are trying to add as many reinforcements as possible. Last night, it was confirmed that they landed Utah Jazz alum John Konchar. It turns out that he's not the only Jazz alum who will be joining them for training camp.
According to The New York Post's Stefan Bondy, the Knicks have added Konchar, Drew Eubanks, Ochai Agbaji, Bruce Brown, and James Wiseman to Exhibit 9 contracts (i.e., training camp deals).
Agbaji was part of the deluxe package Utah got from Cleveland in the Donovan Mitchell trade. He only lasted a year and a half on the team before they sent him to Toronto. Eubanks was a free agent addition in 2024 before he was traded mid-season to the Los Angeles Clippers.
On top of that, they will compete for a chance to play alongside fellow Jazz alum Jordan Clarkson, whom Agbaji and Eubanks played with before Utah got rid of them.
Lifes comes at you fast. Not too long ago, these Jazz alumni didn't just have secure roster spots but they were playing consistent minutes for them. Now, they're fighting for their NBA lives hoping to prove to the Knicks that they are worth keeping around.
Jazz may be put in a similar position down the line
The funny thing about that aforementioned group of names is that none of them are unknowns. All of them are players who have stuck in the NBA for years for a reason. The Knicks have been put in a fabulous and rare position to decide who among these veterans deserves a spot on their roster, let alone their rotation, which would be yet to be determined for any one of them who makes it.
Better yet, they are in this position because they have been among the NBA's most impressive teams for the past few years. Hence, players see them as a potential lifeline.
It may not be too long from now when the Jazz are put in a similar position. No one's saying the Jazz are going to win a title, but they may show the league that they are a winning team with winning habits that would appeal a lot to solid players like Konchar and Eubanks that they would compete on a training camp deal just to be on their roster.
Utah will cross that bridge when they come to it because no one will know what's to come from this season until the play, but still. It's news like these that serve as potentially exciting subplots for the Jazz down the line,
Utah's obviously not New York as far as comparing markets, but in this case, it's not about market as much as it is about building the right culture. The Jazz aren't there yet until they prove it, but they definitely could be.
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