Knicks guard Landry Shamet, who suffered an injury during Tuesday’s preseason game against Charlotte, has been diagnosed with a dislocated right shoulder and will be reevaluated at a later date, the team announced on Friday (via Twitter).
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), Shamet’s injured right shoulder continues to be examined, but there’s “initial optimism” about his odds of avoiding surgery.
Although Shamet is with the Knicks this fall on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract, reports throughout the preseason indicated he was a strong contender to earn a spot on the team’s regular-season roster. His injury complicates matters since New York lacks back-end roster depth and spending flexibility below its hard cap. Retaining and paying Shamet while he’s injured may not be the best use of a roster spot or the team’s limited spending room.
The Knicks’ 12 players on fully guaranteed salaries count for about $185.35M against the apron, leaving just $3.58M in wiggle room below the team’s second apron ($188.93M) hard cap. That’s not even enough for two minimum-salary veterans, so the club will likely fill its roster with one minimum-salary vet and one minimum-salary rookie (Ariel Hukporti is reportedly the frontrunner to be converted).
As James L. Edwards III of The Athletic points out (via Twitter), the fact that the Knicks said Shamet will be evaluated “at a later date” may be a signal that they don’t plan to waive him, though that’s hardly a sure thing. If Shamet is cut, the Exhibit 9 language in his contract means the team would only be on the hook for $15K rather than having to pay his salary until he gets healthy.
We should get clarity soon on the Knicks’ plans, but it’s worth noting that the team is permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time and for up to 28 total days during the 2024-25 season. That means New York could opt to waive Shamet and its other camp invitees while postponing Hukporti’s conversion for now, rolling with just 12 players on the standard roster for the season’s first 14 days. The Knicks could then bring back Shamet at a later date.
