A pair of New York Knicks veteran signings have received a major new prediction ahead of the 2025-26 season.

New York has emerged as the co-favorite to contend for the Eastern Conference crown next season, along with the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the wake of devastating Achilles tendon tears incurred by All-NBA Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and All-NBA Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton during this past spring’s playoffs.

Over the summer, fresh off a run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks swapped hard-driving head coach Tom Thibodeau out for fellow two-time Coach of the Year honoree Mike Brown, considered more team-friendly and more offensively innovative. New York used some tactical free agent signings to bolster its roster depth around All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, All-Defensive forwards Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, rim-running center Mitchell Robinson and triple-double threat shooting guard Josh Hart.

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The Knicks signed power forward Guerschon Yabusele and guard Jordan Clarkson to guaranteed deals to help reserve guard Miles McBride off the bench. The team is so good that it even managed to bring in three legitimate rotation pieces, 2023 Sixth Man of the Year guard Malcolm Brogdon, shooting guard Landry Shamet, and sniper wing Garrison Mathews, on non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 training camp deals.

For now, Brogdon, Shamet and Mathews continue to compete for finite roster availability.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv predicts that Brogdon and Shamet will both make New York’s opening night roster, over Mathews.

For this to happen, the hard-capped Knicks would need to make an additional trade. As the team’s roster currently stands, it would only be able to bring aboard one of its training camp signees.

In just 24 healthy games (13 starts) for the Washington Wizards last year, Brogdon averaged 12.7 points while slashing .433/.286/.880 shooting splits, 4.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds. He’s a career 38.8 percent 3-point shooter, however, and his size (he’s 6-foot-4) and switchability make him an intriguing, somewhat overqualified deep-bench fit — although the 32-year-old is now a perpetual injury risk.

Shamet, 28, averaged 5.7 points on a .461/.397/.667 slash line in a more reduced role with New York last season, averaging 15.2 minutes per.

Mathews spent parts of the last three seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. In 47 healthy games last season, he averaged 7.5 points on .397/.390/.821 shooting splits, 1.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.6 steals a night.

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Per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, Brown revealed that he’s been using the preseason to take a look at all three players.

“Trying to see different guys we’ve signed with different combinations,” Brown said. “And putting them in at different — I may throw a guy in for three minutes. And if I throw him in for three minutes, part of that is I may use him that way in the regular season or I may use him that way if he makes the team in the regular season. So how does he respond? So I’m experimenting right now.”

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