The Knicks rested their starters on Tuesday, but were unable to avoid an unfortunate injury in the preseason.
Landry Shamet suffered a serious right shoulder injury in the third quarter of New York’s preseason win over Charlotte.
He hurt his shoulder while defending Moussa Diabate on a ride. The 27-year-old appeared to be in a lot of pain after the injury. He went straight to the Knick locker room with a trainer.
Going into Tuesday night, Shamet had a very good chance of making the Knicks’ regular season roster. New York needed a player who could shoot perimeter, especially after the trade Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota in the Karl-Anthony Cities agreement.
Tom Thibodeau has praised Shamet for his work and performance in the preseason. If he were healthy, he would likely be in the Knicks’ regular season rotation.
That makes this shoulder injury important for New York. What would Shamet’s extended absence mean for the Knicks?
The 27-year-old has signed an Exhibit 9 contract. So if his injury is significant, the Knicks could waive him and take a $15,000 cap hit. The club could then have room under the second apron to add another veteran minimum player and convert a two-way player to a standard contract.
Injuries aside, big man Ariel Hukporti will probably be converted. If the Knicks convert Hukporti, they would have 13 players on traditional deals. Shamet would be the 14th player.
So if Shamet is out for an extended period of time, New York would likely look to sign another veteran player for that 14th spot. Before Shamet’s injury, there was some internal support for the addition Marcus Morris Sr., per people familiar with the matter.
New York signed Morris Sr. prior to training camp for an Exhibit 10 deal. They had to waive Morris Sr. to conduct the city’s trade. Morris Sr. then turned down an invitation to training camp from the Knicks.
Even after he turned down the camp offer, some at the club considered Morris Sr. as a strong depth piece and a potential in-season addition.
If Shamet is out for an extended period of time, the Knicks could also opt to keep the veteran TJ Warren if they can sign him and stay under the second platform. Chuma Okeke would also be an option.
However, neither of these players would be a perfect replacement for Shamet’s shooting ability. That’s one factor that makes Shamet’s injury so costly for New York. He would fill a clear need and play an important role off the bench.
Depending on the severity of Shamet’s shoulder injury, New York could decide to keep him on the regular-season roster while he rehabs. Doing so would clearly leave the club off the bench.
The biggest factor in adding a player to the roster is the second apron, which is $188.9 million in team salary. The Knicks’ team salary cannot exceed the second tier this season; they got a hard cap at the second platform after the Mikal Bridges trade.
If the Knicks had kept Shamet on the roster and converted Hukporti, they would be about $300,000 under the second platform, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan.
