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Knicks Nightly Desk · transactions · Wednesday, September 16

Jaden Akins Joins the Knicks

Free agentNew York Knicks
Jaden Akins
G · 23 · rookie
The move
Joins the Knicks
official roster · Sep 16, 2026
2026-27 cap hit
Not on file yet
public salary data lags a signing by a day
Knicks payroll
$217.9M
above the first apron · cap $165.0M · tax $200.4M
Roster
22 players
standard limit 15 + 3 two-way
By the Knicks Nightly Desk · 2 h ago

Jaden Akins is now on the New York Knicks' roster, the move surfacing through the team's official roster on Wednesday, Sep. 16. The 23-year-old rookie guard had no prior NBA roster spot.

The move

Jaden Akins joins the New York Knicks, arriving with no prior NBA roster spot, as shown on the club's official roster as of Wednesday, Sep. 16. The 23-year-old guard is a rookie with no NBA history before this addition. No report is logged as having preceded the transaction, so the move surfaces first through the roster itself rather than through a prior signing or trade report.

The money

Akins' contract is not on file yet; public salary data can lag a signing by a day, so his cap hit and contract length are unknown for now. The Knicks carry a payroll of $217.9 million across 13 contracts for 2026-27, putting the club over the first apron. The league cap for 2026-27 is $165.0 million, the tax line is $200.4 million, the first apron is $209.0 million and the second apron is $221.7 million.

The fit

Akins has no NBA line from last season. He joins a Knicks backcourt led by Jalen Brunson, who averaged 35.0 minutes and 26.0 points last season, with Mikal Bridges (32.8 minutes, 14.4 points), Josh Hart (30.2 minutes, 12.0 points) and Miles McBride (26.3 minutes, 12.0 points) also in the mix, plus Landry Shamet (23.0 minutes, 9.3 points). New York's roster now stands at 22 players, 15 on standard deals plus three on two-way contracts.

Is Jaden Akins on a standard or two-way contract?

Not announced. His contract is not on file yet.

Did a report precede the move?

No report is logged as having preceded this transaction.

How big is the Knicks' roster now?

22 players, against a standard limit of 15 plus three two-way spots.

By the Knicks Nightly Desk, from the data on this page, rewritten when the data changes. How the desks work.
No contract on file yet: public salary data usually catches up within a day.

Knicks rotation

tracker →
Toby Okani36.2 min · 10.0 pts
Jalen Brunson35.0 min · 26.0 pts
OG Anunoby33.2 min · 16.7 pts
Mikal Bridges32.8 min · 14.4 pts
Karl-Anthony Towns31.0 min · 20.1 pts
Josh Hart30.2 min · 12.0 pts

Moves are detected from the official rosters, so the mechanism (trade, signing, waiver claim, two-way conversion) comes from the linked report when there is one. Salary figures are cap hits from public salary data.