Knicks urged to take low-risk gamble on former first-round pick

The New York Knicks are bolstering their roster in hopes of a deep playoff run in the 2025-26 campaign. 

New York signed Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson this offseason and kept its core intact. The Knicks are set to run it back with added depth after falling to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals last postseason, though they still have room for a veteran minimum contract. 

The team has been linked to Ben Simmons and Landry Shamet, though NBA writer Jeremy Brener of SI.com believes the team should take a look at former first-round pick Rhondae Hollis-Jefferson. 

“After playing with Toronto and Portland for a year apiece, he has been fighting overseas in Turkey, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to prove that he belongs back in the NBA,” Brener wrote. “Perhaps the Knicks could be the team that gives him a shot.” 

While it appears more likely that the Knicks will target Simmons and Shamet before pivoting elsewhere, they have the flexibility to take a flier on a player like Hollis-Jefferson, who is still only 30 years old. 

MORE: Knicks weighing backcourt options as free agency decision looms

The forward began his career with the team's cross-town rival, the Brooklyn Nets, averaging 9.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals across 23.2 minutes per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field over four seasons in Brooklyn. 

He maintained a meaningful bench role with the Raptors in 2019-20 but spent most of the following season as a free agent before landing two 10-day contracts and a subsequent rest-of-season deal with the Portland Trail Blazers in April 2021. 

The Arizona product last played for TNT Tropang Giga in the Philippines in 2024-25, where averaged 26.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks in 44.6 minutes per game over 25 appearances. 

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