The 53-year wait for the New York Knicks' 2026 NBA Championship helped make the victory feel extra sweet for the organization and its fans. The front office led by team president Leon Rose likely doesn't plan on having their fans wait that long for the next one, though.
In the era of the second apron, the Boston Celtics may have unfortunately laid out the blueprint for staying sustainably competitive. By trading Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and two first-round draft selections, Brad Stevens kept the C's competitive while essentially resetting their cap sheet around the five-year, $313 million contract they gave superstar wing Jayson Tatum in 2024.
Jalen Brunson helped the Knicks build a championship-winning roster in the same 2024 offseason. The guard passed up on about $37 million in additional potential earnings, which he could have landed the next summer, in order to simultaneously secure a long-term contract and help Leon Rose's front office continue to surround him with top-level talent.
Brunson's next contract, though, could be worth as much as $290 million over four seasons according to The Athletic's Fred Katz. The Knicks should be glad to give the point guard, and 2026 NBA Finals MVP, his money. They might also, however, be thinking about restructuring their cap sheet in advance of such a sizable deal becoming its foundation.
Which Knicks star would be sent down Jaylen Brown's path?
As things stand, the Knicks have Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado, and Mohamed Diawara signed through the 2027-28 NBA season. They have team options for Josh Hart and Tyler Kolek that year, too. Both were eligible for extensions over the offseason; of the two of them, though, only Hart was reportedly expecting one.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride are the two other players whose contract statuses are still in question, with the team's preseason declaration that any and all negotiations of potential extensions would be tabled until later on in the season. Part of the initial hold-up in those negotiations, though, was seemingly New York's organizational decision to treat the second apron like a hard cap.
Reporting has made clear that Towns, the best player of the three, would be extended first. The Knicks could very well still agree to extensions with Towns, Hart, and McBride that enable them to keep what's left of their championship-winning core together for the foreseeable future.
In the case that the team is not able to come to terms with their star center, however, Rose's front office could very well have the lever for a Celtics-like retool behind the emergency glass. Trading Towns would justifiably upset fans of the local All-Star. It would also ensure that all three big men who were key to the team's 2026 championship no longer played for the Knicks.
Knowing that New York simply doesn't intend on surpassing the second apron, though, makes it necessary to plan for a world where they move on from Towns. The Celtics, ironically the team that signed Mitchell Robinson away last summer, have already shown them how to do it.
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