The New York Knicks' 2026 playoff run was historically dominant, from their incredible margins of victory in closeout games to the 13-game win streak they racked up throughout the process. After turning things around after three games against the Atlanta Hawks, they effectively shredded through every single one of their remaining opponents.
They swept the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers in back-to-back series before taking out the San Antonio Spurs in just five games, ending a 53-year Championship drought. The extent of their dominance may have just levied some unintended consequences on the entire NBA, though, including the Knicks themselves.
Brian Windhorst spoke with NBA executives from teams across the league to collect their early reactions to what's been a whirlwind of a free agency period thus far, reporting that the speed with which the Knicks advanced through the 2026 NBA Playoffs resulted in the league bringing in less television revenue than they were expecting. That resulted in the salary cap coming in lower, for all 30 teams, going into next season.
Entire NBA is paying the price for allowing the Knicks' playoff dominance
Windhorst was clear in his article that the Knicks weren't solely to blame for the NBA's salary cap coming in lower than the league had previously projected to its teams. However, the longtime scribe said that league sources were able to confirm New York's noteworthy yields hampered every team's spending ability to some degree.
"When the league announced its figures last week, the cap increase was 'just' 6.7%....this was even less than previously forecast. The reason for the reduction was a shorter-than-expected postseason, with the Knicks' dominance cutting the Eastern Conference finals and Finals short, sources said. But the overall drag is a result of slashed local TV earnings," Windhorst wrote on Friday.
The most recent CBA's salary cap has special powers to pressure teams into limiting their spending. Although there's been no confirmation that the Knicks' refusal to surpass the second apron is tied exclusively to the penalties levied upon teams that hit the limit, governor James Dolan did go on WFAN and call it "suicidal" by the NBA world's standards.
The apron's penalties haven't exactly stopped teams in recent history, with the Cleveland Cavaliers having been over the second apron last season. They still found ways to make sweeping changes ahead of the trade deadline. It might not feel like it, because the Knicks literally swept them in the Eastern Conference Finals, but they were the runner-up in the league's best conference.
We don't actually know why the Knicks won't surpass the second apron
Recent history proves that it's very unlikely the Knicks' refusal to pay the second-apron tax bill has anything to do with being "cheap." They have objectively never balked in the face of those payments before, in pursuit of the 2026 NBA Championship. Dolan is currently paying both Mike Brown and Tom Thibodeau a full salary to coach the Knicks.
Perhaps it was an organizational preference to defer these gargantuan tax payments down the line, when Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are on their next contracts.
Could it have have been a desire to prove to NBA leadership, at the highest levels, that the Knicks won't blindly conform to the draconian setup?
New York surrenders jaw-dropping amounts of revenue to their less-profitable partners from smaller markets as a result of the league's revenue sharing system. Dolan has long been a staunch critic of the arrangement.
Regardless, it affects fans the same. Robinson is a Celtic, and Missi will remain a Pelican. Drummond is a start, but the Knicks ought to continue surveying the market for other options. They still only have two centers on the roster.
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