The New York Knicks have suffered an unfortunate setback in their frontcourt just days before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Veteran center Drew Eubanks has sustained a torn pectoral muscle that will sideline him for an extended period, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania reported on October 15 that the Knicks intend to waive Eubanks, ending the 29-year-old’s bid to earn a reserve center role in New York.
The news adds another wrinkle to a Knicks roster that has spent much of training camp trying to establish its center rotation.
Drew Eubanks Injury Ends Knicks Roster Bid
Eubanks joined the Knicks in September on a non-guaranteed training camp contract, entering a competition for one of the team’s remaining roster spots.
The 6-foot-10 veteran brought eight seasons of NBA experience to New York after spending the 2025-26 campaign with the Sacramento Kings.
In 42 games with Sacramento, including 11 starts, Eubanks averaged 5.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 13.1 minutes per appearance. He also shot 59.6% from the field.
Those numbers weren’t spectacular, but Eubanks offered precisely the sort of experience New York was seeking as it worked to solidify its frontcourt depth.
His injury now ends that opportunity, at least for the foreseeable future.
Charania did not provide a specific recovery timeline beyond indicating that Eubanks would miss an extended period. The severity of the tear and whether surgery will be necessary have not been publicly established in the initial report.
The Knicks’ reported intention to waive Eubanks also comes before the team has officially announced the transaction.
Knicks Already Facing Questions at Center
New York’s search for additional size has been a priority throughout the offseason.
The reigning NBA champions lost longtime center Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics in free agency, leaving a significant opening behind Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Knicks brought in Andre Drummond as a veteran replacement, but head coach Mike Brown made clear during training camp that the team was still evaluating its options.
“We’re looking for bigs,” Brown told reporters on September 30, according to the New York Daily News. “We’re looking at that [center] position heavily.”
That approach produced a crowded competition.
Along with Eubanks, New York signed former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman to an Exhibit 9 contract. The team also added Tony Bradley, giving Brown several experienced options to evaluate before the regular season.
Brown explained during camp that the addition of Bradley could help create flexibility in the frontcourt, including opportunities to experiment with Towns at power forward.
That flexibility becomes especially important following Eubanks’ injury.
While Eubanks was never guaranteed a place in the regular-season rotation, his absence takes one more experienced candidate out of the equation.
This is not an injury to one of New York’s established starters. It is a significant setback for a player trying to earn a job, with a secondary impact on the team’s roster competition.
For the Knicks, the immediate task remains the same. Brown and the front office must determine which reserve centers provide the best combination of defense, rebounding and reliability behind Towns.
Eubanks, meanwhile, faces an extended recovery instead of the opportunity to compete for a roster spot on a defending championship team.
New York Knicks Lose Veteran Center to Serious Injury Ahead of NBA Season