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New York Knicks’ highest salaries of the past 10 years

By Rob Wolkenbrod

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 27: (EDITORS NOTE: Multiple exposures were combined in camera to produce this image.) Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks looks on during a game against the Detroit Pistons on March 27, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 27: (EDITORS NOTE: Multiple exposures were combined in camera to produce this image.) Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks looks on during a game against the Detroit Pistons on March 27, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Which New York Knicks have held the highest player salary by year over the past decade?

Contracts are always a topic of conversation in the NBA. Where will this superstar sign? Will he take an extension? What will it take to agree to this multi-year contract? The New York Knicks stood at the forefront of this during the 2018-19 regular season, when they cleared salary cap space for 2019 NBA free agency.

Salary talk went beyond this, as the Knicks handed out or acquired high-priced money figures over the past decade. From the game’s most discussed talents to surprisingly high dollar amounts, this organization has featured five different players to claim the payroll’s top spot.

Who has led the payroll by year over the past decade? Let’s take a look:

  • 2009-10: Tracy McGrady, $23.23 million – McGrady only joined the Knicks at the trade deadline, so this salary did not stick for a full season; but the team had to match money with the Houston Rockets in 2010, no matter how high this money was.
  • 2010-11: Carmelo Anthony, $17.14 million – Anthony arrived in a blockbuster trade before the February deadline. Amar’e Stoudemire held the highest salary in the 2010-11 season’s first half.
  • 2011-12: Carmelo Anthony, $18.51 million – Anthony’s first full season in New York featured the team’s highest salary.
  • 2012-13: Amar’e Stoudemire, $19.94 million – Stoudemire started to decline due to injuries, but his money was on the rise in Year Three of this contract.
  • 2013-14: Carmelo Anthony, $22.40 million – Plenty of money went Anthony’s way in New York, and this was one of the highest totals.
  • 2014-15: Amar’e Stoudemire $23.41 million – Stoudemire was nowhere close to his All-Star self in 2014-15, but the Knicks shelled out over $23 million when the team started to freefall down the NBA standings.
  • 2015-16: Carmelo Anthony, $22.87 million – It seemed like Anthony could make this money with another team at any point, given his public friction with Phil Jackson; but he stuck around to collect the top salary of 2015-16.
  • 2016-17: Carmelo Anthony, $24.55 million – The No. 1 salary of the past 10 years, Anthony closed in on $25 million, in what became his last season with the Knicks.
  • 2017-18: Enes Kanter, $20.56 million – Kanter arrived via trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder and took his monstrous salary to the top of the payroll.
  • 2018-19: DeAndre Jordan, $22.89 million – Jordan arrived before the trade deadline, so his salary did not sit on the payroll for more than 10 weeks. Kanter and Wesley Matthews tied for the next highest payout.

Next. 25 greatest players in NYK history. dark

For now, the New York Knicks have Julius Randle atop their 2019-20 payroll. Will that change during the season?

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