The New York City Department of Sanitation has stripped lower Manhattan of all remnants of Thursday’s wild championship parade, leaving Knicks fans to slowly turn their attention towards an uncertain future.
Those hoping to see the NBA’s first repeat champs since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 can take some comfort in the Knicks’ current roster construction. When the league calendar flips on July 1, starters Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns will still be under contract for the 2026-27 season.
The bench, however, is something of a mystery heading into next year, as is Towns’ long-term future with the team.
‘If I’m Karl-Anthony Towns, remember: The Knicks had the opportunity to extend him at the start of the season,’ ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill said Friday. ‘They did not. It stuck with him. I don’t think he’s gotten over that. So, let’s see how this plays out. I’m curious.’
The Daily Mail has sought comment from Towns’ agent about Goodwill’s reporting. The 30-year-old center is currently signed through next season, when he’ll make $57 million, and has a $61 million player option for 2027-28, when he can elect to become a free agent.
Complicating Towns’ situation is Knicks owner James Dolan’s reluctance to pay onerous luxury taxes to keep this team together.
Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t going anywhere in 2026-27, but could find a new home in 2027-28
Knkcks owner James Dolan throws his arm around team president Leon Rose after Game 5
‘We cannot go into the second apron,’ Dolan said on WFAN radio in New York this week, indicating his desire to see the team keep its payroll below $222 million for the upcoming season.
In addition to the NBA’s soft salary cap, which is set at $165 million for next season and permits a number of exceptions, the league also has a highly punitive luxury tax structure that comes with additional tiers or aprons. So, when teams exceed the soft salary cap and move beyond the $201 million luxury tax threshold, they can also face added penalties for spending above $209 million (first apron) or $222 million (second apron).
Only a handful of NBA teams have ever gone into the second apron, which limits both free-agent opportunities and trades. There is also a dreaded ‘repeater’ tax penalizing teams for remaining above the luxury tax threshold for consecutive seasons.
These mechanisms aimed at creating parity around the NBA could prove to be major obstacles if the Knicks hope to re-sign free-agent reserves like Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson or New York native Jose Alvarado, who has until Monday to decide on his $4.5 million player option for 2026-27.
‘I don’t know if we’ll be able to,’ Dolan told WFAN when asked if he’d be able to keep the team together. ‘We’re willing to stretch, but there’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron.’
Jalen Brunson’s decision to sign for $113 million less than a full max contract extension in 2024 helped the Knicks end their 53-year title drought with Saturday’s Game 5 win in San Antonio
Free agent center Mitchell Robinson is pictured during the Knicks parade on Thursday
Brunson’s decision to sign for $113 million less than a full max contract extension in 2024 helped the Knicks end their 53-year title drought with Saturday’s Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Now, if the Knicks are to remain atop the NBA hierarchy, they may need Towns and some other key stars to accept similar team-friendly deals, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
‘If Karl Towns is willing to take a little bit of a haircut, you know, $7-10 million over the course of multiple seasons and Josh Hart is also extension eligible this summer, if both of them are willing to take a little bit of a haircut, you could see this core staying together for three, four, five years,’ Windhorst said.
Fortunately for Knicks president and former player agent Leon Rose, Towns is represented by his long-time employer, CAA.
Rose also gets the benefit of three draft picks this month (one first- and two second-round selections), when New York could help round out its bench in the event that Mitchell, Shamet, Clarkson and/or Alvarado walk.
Best of all, the Knicks enter the 2026-27 season in a good situation on the bench with head coach Mike Brown. One year after the team’s controversial dismissal of his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau, Brown has a reported three years remaining on his deal.
