Wiseman, Drummond, and a prayer up front

Karl-Anthony Towns is the only frontcourt piece the Knicks can count on heading into 2026–27, and that's been true since Mitchell Robinson took Boston's three-year, $47.4 million offer in early July. Everything behind Towns is a bet. Andre Drummond is here on one year and $3.9 million. James Wiseman, who never quite found his footing in Golden State, arrived on a training camp contract. Bruce Brown is also on a camp deal, competing for a spot.

The Knicks did try to solve this more cleanly. They went after Moussa Cisse with a two-year offer sheet, only to watch Dallas match it 48 hours later. That's the ceiling of what's available when you're defending a title on a championship payroll — you get the players other teams don't want badly enough to retain.

What makes this more than a depth-chart curiosity is Towns's own situation. His extension remains unresolved, and Gersson Rosas — the executive most directly involved in those talks — left the organization in August. Towns put up 19.5 points and 11.1 rebounds last season on better than 50 percent shooting. He's the whole plan up front. The guys behind him are insurance policies written in pencil.

Training camp will tell us something about Drummond and Wiseman, but not everything. The real test comes in February, in a road game, when Towns needs a breather and the Knicks have to hold a lead with whoever's left.