Now that the Knicks have their first NBA title in 53 years, it may take a summer of big spending to keep the team intact, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. The starters are all under contract for next season, but bringing back key members of the bench unit, which played an important role during the championship run, could require moving into the second apron.
New York currently has eight players signed for 2026/27, and Jose Alvarado holds a $4.5MM player option. If he picks that up and the Knicks keep the 24th pick in the draft, their team salary will rise to about $209MM, which is roughly $13MM away from second apron territory.
The most pressing decisions involve backup center Mitchell Robinson and reserve guard Landry Shamet. Schwartz notes that Robinson was able to stay healthy during the regular season and has been a steady backup for Karl-Anthony Towns who would be hard to replace if he leaves in free agency. However, he was less effective during the NBA Finals as he was dealing with a broken bone in his hand, and his poor free throw shooting often forced him to be removed from games.
Shamet was a huge bargain on a veteran’s minimum contract and will be seeking a better deal this offseason. He’ll likely get some interest around the league after shooting 47.5% from three-point range during the playoffs.
“That’s the best feeling in the world to see somebody that deserves an opportunity and maybe gets passed over, passed over, passed over,” coach Mike Brown said of Shamet. “Now, on one of the biggest stages in the game of his craft, he steps up, he shows the world, ‘I can do this.’ I mean, it makes you feel really, really good to see that because he went and he earned it.”
There’s more from New York:
- Jalen Brunson has a case to be considered the greatest Knick of all time after delivering a title and being named Finals MVP, states James L. Edwards of The Athletic. Brown endorsed that designation after the Game 5 win, saying, “I love (Patrick Ewing), and I hope he doesn’t kill me … he’s bigger than me, but we’re both old and slow, but Jalen Brunson is HIM when it comes to New York basketball. He is freaking HIM.” Ian O’Connor of The Athletic doesn’t expect the doubts about Brunson to go away and looks at how he’ll use them to drive his championship pursuit again next season.
- The Knicks’ roster was nearly broken up before it had the chance to compete for a title. Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed a desire to play in New York last summer, and sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPN that the team had legitimate interest in making a deal. “I don’t think Milwaukee was really serious about trading him,” a source with knowledge of the discussions said. “But if they had been willing to trade him, the Knicks would’ve traded for him.”
- Jeremy Sochan nearly doubled his salary by being part of a championship team, according to BasketNews. Knicks players each received a bonus of about $770K from this year’s playoff pool, and Sochan was making $806K after signing with New York in February.
