Jose Alvarado

Alvarado was ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and led the conference at 3.0 steals a game, then went undrafted and signed a two-way deal in New Orleans that August. He built a career on the full-court pressure most guards stopped attempting years ago. Traded to New York at the February 2026 deadline, he scored eight fourth-quarter points in Game 4 of the Finals as the Knicks came back from 29 down to win 107-106, on the way to the franchise's first title in 53 years — making him the third Puerto Rican champion, after Butch Lee and J.J. Barea. He declined a $4.5 million option and re-signed for three years at around $14.4 million in July 2026.