WASHINGTON, D.C. — Knicks guard Landry Shamet suffered a dislocated right shoulder in Wednesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets and did not travel with the team for the preseason finale against the Wizards on Friday.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau said Shamet is still processing information in order to make the best decision for his long-term health.
“It’s a dislocated shoulder, and he’s still gathering information as to what the next steps are,” Thibodeau said ahead of tipoff on Friday. “And obviously we feel very strongly about him and what he did. So whatever it is, whatever is in front of you, if you’re dealing with an injury, lock into that, focus on the rehab, get yourself ready to go.”
Shamet’s injury puts the Knicks, who are hard-capped with only $3.35 million worth of room underneath the second apron to sign free agents, in a bind.
The sharpshooting guard isn’t expected to be re-evaluated for his injury for several weeks — but the Knicks must finalize their regular-season roster by Saturday, and Shamet is on a non-guaranteed contract.
“I don’t know what all the information is. So I’m basing it on what I have at this time,” Thibodeau said when asked if the team would keep Shamet on the roster despite his injury. “It’s a dislocated shoulder. We’re still gathering the information. And so we’re just going from there, but he’s already attacking his rehab. So I like that, but he needs more information, as well. So just go step by step, take each day, look for the improvement in the day, and then whoever the next man is, get in there and get the job done.”
The Knicks have three options as it pertains to Shamet’s eligibility for the regular season. They can keep him on the roster and wait for him to get healthy. They can waive him and hold a roster spot open, then re-sign him when he’s healthy. Or they can waive him and sign another free agent to the veteran’s minimum.
The Knicks can also waive Shamet and find a replacement on the trade market should they be willing to part ways with Mitchell Robinson and his $14.3 million salary.
Of note, Julius Randle dislocated his shoulder in a Jan. 27 matchup against the Miami Heat, opted against surgery, then suffered a setback on the court while rehabbing his injury and later underwent season-ending surgery.
The severity of Shamet’s shoulder injury remains unclear, but he has fans within the Knicks front office. The career 38.4 percent three-point shooter scored 16 points on four-of-eight shooting from downtown in the Knicks’ preseason opener in Charlotte against the Hornets, then added another 13 points in Sunday’s victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This makes his availability on a veteran’s minimum intriguing, but Shamet’s injury history is also notable: He has never played close to a full 82-game season, though he did appear in a 114 of a possible 144 regular-season games in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Knicks can attempt to hold the fort down in Shamet’s absence by bumping either rookie Tyler Kolek or Pacome Dadiet up in the depth chart.
They can also look to free agency, and one name recently added to the pool is former Nets guard Lonnie Walker IV, who was cut from the Boston Celtics’ training camp roster in mid-October.
