Knicks cut Drew Eubanks, Tony Bradley and Ochai Agbaji as the last roster spot comes down to James Wiseman or Bruce Brown

The defending champion Knicks made their roster a lot smaller on Thursday.

New York waived center Drew Eubanks after he tore a pectoral muscle. A few hours later the team also cut center Tony Bradley and wing Ochai Agbaji.

A tough break for Eubanks

Eubanks will be out for an extended period. The 29-year-old had been battling for the third center spot behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond. He scored 13 points with three rebounds in 28 minutes over three preseason games.

He went undrafted in 2018 and has played 426 regular-season games for the Spurs, Trail Blazers, Suns, Jazz, Clippers and Kings. Last season in Sacramento he averaged 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 42 games with 11 starts.

Eubanks was on an Exhibit 9 contract, which protects teams when a player gets hurt in camp. The Knicks do not have to pay his salary while he heals. They owe only a one-time payment of $15,000.

Bradley and Agbaji hit waivers

Bradley was the 28th pick in the 2017 draft and has played 234 regular-season games over eight seasons, including 41 last season for Indiana and Atlanta. He averaged 5.3 points in three preseason games for New York.

Agbaji was a lottery pick in 2022 and played for Utah, Toronto and Brooklyn on his rookie deal. His best season came in Toronto in 2024-25 when he averaged 10.4 points and shot 39.9 percent from 3-point range. Brooklyn did not give him a qualifying offer this summer.

Any team with room can claim either player. If they go unclaimed they become unrestricted free agents.

Wiseman or Brown

Five veterans came to camp on non-guaranteed deals. Only center James Wiseman and swingman Bruce Brown are left.

New York technically has two open spots. Keeping both players would push the payroll over the second tax apron unless the team makes a trade and owner James Dolan has said that is not happening. That means one of them is likely to be cut before Monday's roster deadline.

The Knicks have been expected to keep a third center, which gives Wiseman the edge. The answer should come in the next few days with opening night set for Tuesday.