The New York Knicks apparently aren’t done shopping for depth.
Veteran wing John Konchar is drawing interest from the Knicks, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors, Marc Stein reported in his Sept. 15 edition of The Stein Line. Stein described Konchar as “one of the top free agents available” as teams make their final roster moves before training camp.
Konchar won’t sell tickets. He also doesn’t need the ball, which is considerably more relevant to New York.
The 30-year-old averaged just 4.4 points in 19.9 minutes across 56 games with the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz last season. But the rest of the line explains the interest: 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
For a 6-foot-5 guard/wing, that is a lot of possession-winning production.
John Konchar’s Rebounding Stands Out More Than His Scoring
Konchar has never averaged more than 5.1 points in an NBA season. Calling him an offensive addition would be generous.
His appeal is elsewhere.
On a per-36-minute basis last season, Konchar averaged 7.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.2 blocks.
Those numbers come with the usual per-36 caveat — Konchar has mostly been a reserve — but they illustrate his game. He rebounds his position, moves the ball and generates defensive events without requiring possessions to be run through him.
That profile makes more sense on a Knicks roster already built around Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart than another scorer looking for touches.
The shooting is less convincing.
Konchar made only 28.3% of his 3-pointers last season, including 25% after joining Utah. He owns a 34.9% career mark, however, and shot 37.1% in 2024-25.
So there is at least some history suggesting he can punish defenses that ignore him. Just not enough to call shooting a strength.
Knicks Have Competition for John Konchar
New York also isn’t operating alone.
Stein reported interest from the Heat, Magic and Raptors, giving Konchar four Eastern Conference suitors as camps approach.
His availability is relatively new. Utah traded Konchar and Cody Williams to Minnesota for Josh Green on Aug. 29, and the Timberwolves waived Konchar shortly afterward. NBA.com lists both transactions as official.
That essentially turned a $6 million-plus contract into an opportunity for another contender to add a veteran role player at a much lower cost.
For the Knicks, the calculation is fairly simple. Konchar would not be arriving to change their offense. He would be another option for the less glamorous minutes — rebound, defend, move the ball, stay out of the stars’ way.
Championship rosters need those players, too.
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