New York Knicks: How NBA salary cap projection update impacts rebuild
The NBA has its salary cap number set for 2021. How does this impact the New York Knicks’ rebuild?
If the salary cap overwhelmed the New York Knicks in 2019, the same is in store for 2021. Per The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania, the NBA informed teams that the 2021 salary cap will be $125 million. It leaves the team with over $80 million to spend, as of Sept. 17.
Two years is far down the NBA line, but looking ahead never ends. Projecting the Knicks in 2021 is difficult, as they have two full seasons and another offseason to explore, and there is no telling where they will stand. However, the current roster structure leaves enough predict how the salary cap could impact it.
It seems difficult to think the Knicks will have $80 million to spend in 22 months. Contracts will likely be handed out that stretch past the 2021 offseason, including for young players that need a new contract. Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox will be extension candidates, but Dennis Smith Jr., who has a looking team option for 2020-21, could be a restricted free agent. He will require either a qualifying offer or a larger contract to stay.
RJ Barrett, pending his development, will be on pace for his own extension. Plus, rookie-scale contracts rise as the salary cap does, so if New York has another high first-round pick in 2020 and both their own and Dallas’ convey in the 2021 lottery, they will each take another bite of the payroll.
These current and future pieces will help establish the Knicks, whether they remain with the team or not. Assets often move for star talent in the modern-day roster shuffling in the NBA, so some of these players and picks might work towards something greater.
Otherwise, if the Knicks play their cards properly, some of these pieces can align with the superstars this organization has long coveted in free agency, because, by 2021, two more seasons will have passed, and the desire to “rebuild” may be over. Without a playoff appearance since 2013, something will have to change, and the orange and blue can target the star free agents who will make a franchise-changing difference. They will potentially include:
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LeBron James can also hit the open market, but at age 36, his NBA run may have peaked or started to course towards its end.
Still, that is a star-studded group and the players beyond them make a loaded class. The eventual expectation will lean towards the Knicks targeting the top names, much like the 2019 summer, which showed nothing is guaranteed, even after the countless rumors that floated throughout the season.
Anyway, hypothetically, if the Knicks sign a top free agent in 2021 to join their young pieces, the rebuilding process will speed up and potentially end. They can be a playoff team for the first time in nine years by the 2022 spring, barring no postseason appearances over the next two years.
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The New York Knicks’ payroll landscape will change over the next 22 months. Unforeseen circumstances happen, so this updated salary cap will mean something or nothing by the summer of 2021.