As teams continue to break up over the threat of steep payrolls, steeper taxes, and roster-building restrictions, the New York Knicks have avoided the fate of being ripped apart. Losing Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics is the biggest hit this core has suffered, and it would have been much worse if not for Jalen Brunson leaving money on the table in his last extension.
Here’s the thing: It doesn’t sound like JB is going to do that again. And with owner James Dolan so far intent to cheap out of paying into the second apron, it shifts the burden of financial concession onto Karl-Anthony Towns.
Another Jalen Brunson pay cut may be off the table
Brunson will be eligible next summer to sign a four-year extension worth up to four years and $286.5 million. He could also wait until 2028 free agency, at which time he could land a five-year max from the Knicks worth a projected $370.8 million.
Regardless of when he re-signs, Brunson is “going to get all” of his money, per ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. This aligns with the reigning Finals MVP telling Vanity Fair this past winter that he hopes New York will “do right” by him after he inked a below-market max extension in 2024.
Whether Brunson will be worth the full boat in 2028-29, his age-32 season, and beyond is a discussion worth having. His value to the Knicks is not. He is their heartbeat. If he wants a max deal, New York will almost assuredly give it to him.
Doing so, of course, will come with a heaping pile of collateral damage.
By his own admission, Dolan seems unlikely to change his second-apron stance. And the league, through commissioner Adam Silver, has made it perfectly clear that they love to see title contenders forced into tough decisions and breakups.
The burden of keeping the Knicks together could fall on Towns
Timing plays a part in obsessing over Towns’ next price point. He is eligible for an extension now. But he’s also the only one feasibly positioned to take a meaningful pay cut.
Mikal Bridges (potentially) made his own sacrifice by signing an extension rather than exploring free agency this summer. Josh Hart opted into a below-market salary before his current deal took effect. The odds of him doing the Knicks another solid don’t seem high. Even if they are, he doesn’t make nearly enough to leave a dent.
With OG Anunoby’s extension eligibility one year away, this leaves Towns. He has a $61 million player option for 2027-28. For the Knicks to have any reasonable chance of keeping this core together past the upcoming season, they need that number to drop, maybe even plummet.
If it doesn’t, Deuce McBride won’t be the only player who’s sent packing before 2027-28. The collateral damage will, in that case, reach the starting five.
It remains to be seen whether Towns will play ball. Or how much less he might be willing to accept. But rest assured, with Dolan thus far refusing to break open his piggy bank, the fate of this Knicks core may rest on KAT doing what Brunson already did, and can’t be expected to do again.
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