Bruce Brown signs tryout deal with reigning champs Knicks

Bruce Brown never got the chance to defend his 2023 championship, but now he has a chance to help the New York Knicks defend their 2026 title.

Brown has signed an Exhibit 9 (tryout) deal with the Knicks, according to the team’s public relations staff.

Brown is one of five notable veterans who have signed with the Knicks as they fill out the final spots on their training camp roster. New York will have Brown compete with former Memphis Grizzlies forward John Konchar, veteran big man Drew Eubanks, former first-round pick Ochai Agbaji and former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman.

The 30-year-old forward spent last season with the Denver Nuggets, his second stint in Colorado. He averaged 7.9 points on 47.5% shooting (38.5% from 3), 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals over 24.4 minutes in 82 games — every single one of them. He was even better after the All-Star break and was a huge part of propelling the Nuggets on a massive winning streak to close out the regular season.

Why he wasn’t brought back remains somewhat baffling. Denver has watched its bench talent dwindle this offseason and replaced those players with objectively worse options while doubling down on offense with little apparent thought given to defense. Most of this has come because of cost-cutting. Brown wouldn’t cost them anything. He’s trying out with another contender for a minimum deal, all the while his relationship with Denver is well known and he’s one of the most beloved Nuggets ever.

Jamal Murray said during the playoffs last season that Brown was the best perimeter defender on the Nuggets. And notably, Brown was not one of the players called out by name in Jaden McDaniels’ embarrassing “they’re all bad defenders” trash-talk sound bite.

Jamal Murray on Bruce Brown "I think somebody might get at mad me but he's our best on-ball defender… he was huge… plays that change the game." pic.twitter.com/gtEEqLAsr6

— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) April 18, 2026

As noted here last month, the writing was on the wall well before this. The Nuggets gave Brown’s No. 11 to Alpha Diallo, which felt like the loudest signal yet in a summer full of them. Now he heads to Broadway.

It’s a tryout, not a guarantee, but Brown has earned more than $63 million in his career and if he brings that fighting spirit along with his versatile abilities — he’s an undeniable help for any team off the bench. For a Knicks team looking to run it back and keeping much of the same roster, a glue-guy wing with championship DNA who defends, doesn’t turn it over and can hit open 3s is about as clean a camp addition as you’ll find.

So the Nuggets will roll on without their best defender, according to some, and instead are linked to yet another scoring forward who will surely help bolster the league’s 10th-worst defense last year.

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