It doesn’t take a crystal-ball gazer to know that the New York Knicks are going to make a trade by the February 5 deadline. The reasons for guaranteeing action can vary, covering everything from clear and enduring roster needs to team president Leon Rose’s tendency to always do something midseason.
Now, though, another driving force has emerged: The future of Kevin McCullar Jr.
Once again on a two-way contract, the 24-year-old sophomore made the mother of all statements during the Knicks’ Saturday victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Through over 23 minutes of court time, he delivered an avalanche of defensive activity, pitched in on both the offensive and defensive glass, and even made three of his six three-point attempts.
One game does not portend a new normal. McCullar’s spot in the rotation isn’t etched in stone, or even written in pencil. But he has shown enough for the Knicks to know he’s worth keeping around, and developing. The best way to do that? Convert him to a standard NBA contract—something they’ll (probably) need a trade to do.
The Knicks can’t afford to lock down Kevin McCullar Jr. right now
New York is currently $148,358 beneath the second-apron threshold, according to Spotrac. Converting a two-way player costs one-half of a standard minimum deal relative to their experience.
In McCullar’s case, his minimum salary would be $2,048,494. Half of that comes to $1,024,247 million. With that said, the Knicks aren’t on the hook for the full amount. These salaries get prorated based on where a team is at in their season.
The 2025-26 campaign is 174 days long. That means McCullar’s per-day rate on a standard contract comes out to roughly $5,886.48. Given the Knicks’ current space below the second apron, they have enough to convert KMJ with about 25 days left in the season.
That is…not the end of the world. Two-way contracts can be converted into standard deals until the last day of the season. McCullar will be limited to just 50 appearances until then, but even with Josh Hart’s injury, he’s not in danger of crossing that threshold.
Still, the goal shouldn’t be to just have him for this year. The Knicks need to try and lock him up for multiple seasons. This would give them a cost-controlled player who potentially becomes invaluable as the core gets more expensive, and the team is subjected to more transactional restrictions.
The Knicks should shed salary in a trade, and keep McCullar
You can argue that New York has no business making trades to keep a 24-year-old with fewer than 10 career games under his belt. Except, that’s not the only reason they’ll strike a deal.
Tyler Kolek has solved the backup-point-guard dilemma. That’s great! But the Knicks could still use a veteran wing, big-man insurance, and maybe even a high-volume three-point sniper.
With the stakes on this season so soaringly high, Rose and company are going to do…something. And when they do, they should bust their butts to shed enough salary to offer McCullar a multiyear minimum deal.
It’s a small move in the grand scheme of things. But as we’re seeing with Kolek now, retaining cost-controlled talent that’s shown even the faintest signs of real value can end up making a world of difference.