Even though it's early, it seems as though James Wiseman may be trending toward a failed experiment for the Knicks. He's logged DNPs in four of seven games so far and did next to nothing with the longer runway he was given against the Magic, as Andre Drummond underperformed.

New York simply can't afford to let Wiseman take up space if he's ultimately not the guy for the third-string job, especially with Drummond stirring up his own problems that leave the Knicks' frontcourt worse off.

Luckily, they gave themselves a way to get out of his deal in case things went poorly.

How Knicks could pull off a James Wiseman breakup with zero consequences

Though Wiseman is under contract on a $3 million deal and carries a cap hit close to $2.5 million, the pact is non-guaranteed, so the center has to earn his keep, rather than being paid no matter what.

Additionally, the contract doesn't fully guarantee until Jan. 10, 2027, per Spotrac. That means the Knicks could cut Wiseman ahead of that date if they don't see him as part of their plans to avoid being on the hook for the rest of the season and maintain cap space flexibility.

While this would be a surprising move after Wiseman earned the No. 3 center job over the summer, this is also a possibility that's growing each day as he seems less and less like a necessary presence on the roster. The trust appears to be at the ground level with Wiseman, who can't even get in most nights, despite Drummond showing plenty of age and warts in his game.

New York spending an entire season on Wiseman with potentially no payoff would be malpractice in terms of resource allocation. There were reasons to believe the younger big man could turn things around in the Big Apple, but playing well in the preseason and regular season are two different beasts.

The Knicks appear to be seeing why Wiseman wasn't on most radars over the past two years and didn't get scooped up in free agency earlier this offseason. But just because he flashed some promise in September doesn't mean they need to keep carrying him on the roster come January.

The first month of the new year is when plans for the most important stretch of the campaign are determined. It's very difficult to imagine the team being happy with the play from its backup centers if the current form remains with little improvement, which would create a need to make an addition if they don't by the end of December.

In Wiseman, New York would have dead weight it can drop in an instant and free up resources (a roster spot and cap space) to immediately spend somewhere else. Early January could see other big men who haven't worked out for other teams become available via cuts or even trades, with the deadline the following month.

The ideal situation for Wiseman would be to start rising over the next few weeks, build some positive momentum, and show the Knicks what makes him a guy worth carrying into the playoffs. But if that doesn't happen, New York is looking at a player with only potential to play, when it needs more sure things down the stretch while jockeying for seeding and trying to gear up for another long playoff run.

It'd be unfortunate to see Wiseman sent packing after his preseason gave hope for a turnaround. However, these are the tough decisions the defending champs must grapple with following a sluggish start to the season and some roster holes becoming even larger than they were once thought to be.