The New York Knicks’ latest transactions looked busy on paper. In reality, they were mostly about building the next layer of the organization.
New York signed Jaden Akins, Nick Jourdain, Mitch Mascari, Toby Okani, Paul Zilinskas and Igor Miličić Jr. to training camp contracts and then waived them, according to a series of announcements from the team Monday night.
The moves were procedural rather than surprising. Several of the players have ties to either the Knicks’ Summer League team or their G League affiliate in Westchester, and several already had their G League rights acquired by Westchester before the NBA transactions were completed. The sequence allows New York to keep developing players it has already identified without necessarily carrying them into NBA training camp.
Miličić is the most recognizable new name among the group. The 6-foot-10 Polish forward was initially signed to an Exhibit 10 deal, giving New York a closer look at a versatile frontcourt prospect before he was waived as part of the Knicks’ roster maneuvering.
Miličić Adds Another Developmental Piece
Miličić gives the Knicks another player with size and positional versatility to keep in their developmental pipeline.
The former Tennessee forward can operate as a stretch four, move the ball and rebound from the forward spots, making him a different type of developmental bet from the guards and wings New York also cycled through on Exhibit 10 contracts.
His waiver does not necessarily mean the organization has moved on from him. Exhibit 10 deals are frequently used to funnel players toward a team’s G League affiliate, where they can continue developing within the same system.
That distinction is important as the Knicks sort through the back end of their roster.
While Miličić, Akins, Jourdain, Mascari, Okani and Zilinskas were waived, Liam Robbins remains in the mix after signing a training camp deal, while veteran center Drew Eubanks is also joining camp with a chance to compete for a roster spot.
That creates a clear separation between the players being positioned for Westchester and the players still fighting to make the NBA roster.
Knicks Keep Investing in Westchester Pipeline
Akins may be the most notable name of the group.
The 6-foot-4 guard played for the Knicks in Summer League, averaging 11.3 points, 2.0 assists and 1.3 rebounds in three games. Westchester acquired his returning-player rights from the Motor City Cruise this week, a strong indication that the organization intends to keep him in its developmental system.
Mascari fits the same pattern.
Westchester acquired his rights from the Stockton Kings on Sept. 10 after he shot 42.5% from 3-point range in 48 G League games last season. The Knicks gave up returning-player rights to Vinicius da Silva and a future G League first-round pick in the deal, making their interest in Mascari more than incidental.
Zilinskas was already part of Westchester’s system after being acquired in a three-team G League trade in January. The 6-5 guard averaged 6.1 points in 12 Tip-Off Tournament games with Memphis before that move and had been a 41.1% 3-point shooter in his final college season at IU Indianapolis.
Jourdain, Okani Already Know Westchester
Jourdain and Okani are even more familiar with the setup.
Both earned places on Westchester’s opening roster last season after local tryouts. Okani later turned that opportunity into an NBA call-up, signing a 10-day contract with Memphis in April after appearing in 47 G League games for Westchester.
Okani also returned to the Knicks for Summer League this year, as did Jourdain.
That continuity matters.
The Knicks are not simply churning through random camp bodies. They are using the back end of the roster to maintain control over players already familiar with the organization, its terminology and its development program.
Robbins, Eubanks Remain More Relevant to Final Roster
The contrast with Robbins and Eubanks is important.
Robbins remains on his training camp deal after showing real rim-protection ability during Summer League, while Eubanks is joining New York on a camp contract and, according to SNY’s Ian Begley, will compete for a roster spot.
That gives those two centers a different level of significance.
The five players waived Monday may still have value to the Knicks — just likely in Westchester rather than Madison Square Garden.
For a team with championship expectations, that is part of the larger roster-building process: keep the NBA rotation stable, use camp transactions to stock the development pipeline and preserve as many useful prospects as possible for later.
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