Agreeing to terms with Mohamed Diawara doesn’t just spare the New York Knicks from potentially losing him to another suitor. It also shows that the team might be willing, if not outright planning, to enter the second apron by re-signing Mitchell Robinson.
This sentiment runs counter to the latest reporting from Ian Begley of SNY. It also goes against owner James Dolan’s recent comments. He declared paying into the second apron a “suicidal” move. That is hyperbolic. When digging into how the team-building restrictions from entering the second apron work, it is also erroneous. The Knicks can dip into it for a year or two without incurring irreversible constraints.
Diawara’s contract supports the idea New York isn’t opposed to navigating second-apron life. Though ESPN’s Shams Charania did not clarify anything beyond it being a “multi-year” agreement, the rule of thumb is that the absence of a concrete length and dollar figure means we’re talking about a minimum deal.
Salary-cap sleuths all over the internet are, in turn, treating this as a four-year contract negotiated using non-Bird rights, which is how the total value can climb above $10 million. Getting the deal done this way means the Knicks did not have to use the mini mid-level exception on a two-year pact to keep Diawara. That is a godsend for anyone who wants Robinson to stay put,
Had keeping Diawara required using the mini MLE, it would have hard-capped the Knicks at the second apron. That would have necessitated letting Robinson walk. They currently have close to $11 million in room beneath the second apron. That wouldn’t be enough to re-sign Robinson, let alone also fill out their remaining roster spots.
Keeping Mitchell Robinson, at minimum, appears to be a priority
Full disclosure: Diawara’s deal doesn’t necessarily guarantee the Knicks are undercutting Dolan’s second-apron stance. This could just be them pouncing on a chance to lock down a young and tantalizing combo wing, while increasing their optionality after the NBA draft.
Still, the fact New York has retained the option to rise above the second apron says it all. The timing and terms say it all. There wouldn’t be as much urgency to Sharpie in Diawara’s number for next season if the team was consigned to losing Robinson amid second-apron concerns.
The Leon Rose-led front office, with salary-cap guru Brock Aller in tow, is nothing if not intentional with its transactions. At the very least, the Knicks are clearly thinking about re-signing Robinson, and cannonballing into the second apron.
In fact, they may actually be done thinking, and have already decided.
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