Just two weeks ago, during the Knicks’ preseason trip to Abu Dhabi, Malcolm Brogdon didn’t hide his expectations for what his role could be.

Brogdon, 32 years old and the Sixth Man of the Year during the 2022-23 campaign, wanted to not only make the Knicks’ roster — positioned to emerge from a competition with Landry Shamet and Garrison Mathews — but also carve out rotation minutes.

But Wednesday, Brogdon suddenly retired after realizing during training camp that his same hunger wasn’t present, and that his nine-year NBA career had taken physical and mental tolls, a league source told The Post’s Stefan Bondy.

And one week before the opener, it leaves the Knicks with a glaring lack of point-guard depth behind Jalen Brunson.

“Today, I officially begin my transition out of my basketball career,” Brogdon said in a statement to ESPN. “I have proudly given my mind, body, and spirit to the game over the last few decades. With the many sacrifices it took to get here, I have received many rewards. I am deeply grateful to have arrived to this point on my own terms and now to be able to reap the benefits of my career with my family and friends. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all who have had a place in my journey.”

Brogdon, who made around $130 million in his career, inked a non-guaranteed deal with the Knicks last month, and despite injury-plagued seasons, he said last week that he felt great.

He won the Rookie of the Year award in 2016-17 with the Bucks, and went on to also play for the Pacers, Celtics, Trail Blazers and — for 24 games, including 13 starts, last season — the Wizards.

At virtually every stop, though, various injuries limited his availability and shaped an injury-prone narrative.

But at his best, which materialized in 2022-23 with Boston, he appeared in 67 games, averaged 14.9 points and emerged as a key bench piece.

He told Bondy earlier this month that he possesses a skill set and versatility that could crack any NBA rotation, and for the Knicks, that meant replacing Cameron Payne as the primary Brunson backup.

Across the Knicks’ four preseason games, Brogdon logged 51 minutes, shot 5-for-17 from the field and collected 17 points.

“I think people that haven’t done this have a lot of opinions about some of the greatest athletes in the world,” Brogdon said last week when asked if the injury-prone label was fair, “and I don’t think people actually understand what it’s like to go through this. I don’t think they actually understand what your body must feel like to play at this level for years and years. I don’t think they understand the wear and tear of this game.”

With one preseason game and limited practices left before the opener, though, the Knicks’ roster crunch just took another twist. Tyler Kolek, their second-round pick last year, has shown flashes of potential and will be on the roster, but he wasn’t supposed to be in the rotation.

The Knicks have also recently explored trading someone to free up space under the second apron — which would’ve allowed them to keep two of the three non-guaranteed veterans (Brogdon, Shamet and Mathews) battling for a spot — Bondy previously reported, but it’s unclear how their strategy will shift after Brogdon’s retirement.

It certainly impacts the outlook for Mathews, known as a strong 3-point shooter, and Shamet, who overcame a dislocated right shoulder in the preseason and inconsistent minutes during the year, to end up in the Knicks’ rotation during the Eastern Conference finals.

An hour before Brogdon’s retirement news broke, Shamet said that last season gave him a “newfound appreciation for everything.”

He’d been waived as a result of the injury.

He needed to play in the G League for the first time in his career. Everything at this point — the morning drives to practice while tired, the sheer act of being in the facility — feels different.

“Any time you go through difficulty, hardship like that, it changes perspective,” Shamet said, “and you don’t appreciate all of the good stuff without going through — it’s like the ‘no mud, no lotus’ saying. You gotta get a little dirty sometimes. There’s beauty on the other side of it, though.”

And after Brogdon’s retirement, his reality — and the reality of the Knicks’ final roster spots — might’ve just shifted entirely.

— The Post’s Stefan Bondy contributed reporting