The New York Knicks will enter the 2026-27 regular season looking to become the first repeat NBA Champion in eight years. Each of the last seven teams to reach the mountaintop have failed to do it again, but the Knicks are uniquely positioned to break that trend.
Their entire starting five is between 29 and 31 years old — and signed at least through next season. Two starters in Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart have options for the following year, but Hart's leverage belongs to New York. That makes Towns the only potential flight risk.
As a result, Hart is likely going to be waiting for his extension for however long it takes Towns and the Knicks' front office to settle their own negotiations. CBS' Sam Quinn agreed on The Third Apron podcast that the Villanova product's next deal will depend on the number that KAT signs for.
Who will the Knicks keep in the long-term?
Nobody likes picking favorites. The Knicks' front office is seemingly intent on keeping as many members of their championship-winning rotation around, for as many years as possible, after ending the franchise's 53-year title drought.
However, the limitations imposed on them by governorship and the second apron have made it impossible to pay everyone what they deserve. Even if they want to keep everyone around, they can't. Mitchell Robinson's departure for the Boston Celtics in July was an excellent example of this.
Miles McBride's contract expires after this season. Mohamed Diawara's new deal primes him to slide right in as the longest-tenured Knick's replacement, in the case that New York can't afford to keep the other homegrown member of their championship rotation in town. But fans aren't exactly sure who to expect their team to keep, especially after Robinson was allowed to walk after a title.
Don't hold your breath for Hart's extension before KAT gets his
The safest bets for the Knicks to keep around are inherently the five members of their NBA Championship-winning starting lineup.
Quinn added that he could see Hart taking a pay cut, in part because he's their oldest starter — and presents as the least important of the five. But he also argued that it could be, in part, because of Hart's post-career earning potential in New York City.
The Roommates Show co-host has already gotten a real taste of celebrity life in the Big Apple. Tommy Hilfiger just welcomed Hart to the "Tommy Family" in the wake of the Knicks' title. And it feels like the do-it-all Swiss Army knife will be signing his second contract with the Knicks in the near future, one way or another.
The number, according to Quinn and Gozlan, will simply depend on Towns' next deal.
Add us as a preferred source on Google