The New York Knicks' NBA Championship celebration had a hiccup when James Dolan told WFAN's The Carton Show that the team would be avoiding the salary cap's second apron like the plague. With the contracts of players like Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet and rookie Mohamed Diawara expiring, cap strategist Brock Aller is going to have an arduous summer ahead of him if Dolan was telling the truth.
There's at least one way for the Knicks' chances of keeping as many key players around as possible to increase, which involves Shamet following a precedent he set last offseason by turning down larger offers to stay in New York. The veteran sharpshooter reportedly had more lucrative offers from other teams, but turned them down to compete for an NBA Championship with the Knicks.
The wing has certainly earned a substantial raise, and it isn't fair for him to need to sacrifice part of his salary – guaranteed to be much smaller than any of the Knicks' starters. New York should offer him more than the veteran's minimum, the amount he's signed for in each of the last two seasons. But selfishly from the perspective of the franchise, Shamet could really help them out by forgoing the biggest payday and refrain from making the Knicks match his best offer.
Jalen Brunson set the tone for Shamet leaving money on the table
Tim Bontemps reported during the Eastern Conference Finals that the Knicks would likely be extending Robinson and Shamet on two-year contracts this offseason, before Dolan declared that the second apron was too daunting – even after a title – for his organization. But the Knicks might need Shamet to leave money on the table, again, when signing that contract.
Team Captain Jalen Brunson set the tone by leaving at least $37 million on the table when he signed his most recent extension, and Mikal Bridges took a $6 million paycut on his contract last summer to help make room for players like Shamet himself.
With the Knicks' roster proving to be the single best in the NBA this past season, and their entire veteran core locked up through next season, it was never exactly going to be easy to keep all of their pending free agents around.
Role players on the fringes of great teams often get paid by developing franchises looking to infuse some fresh championship DNA into the habits of their young players, forcing their hand in free agency and resulting in some heartbreak for fanbases over the years.
The Knicks have never had these types of problems. Even their acquisition of Jalen Brunson, now their superstar Captain and one of the NBA's four best players, required them sending draft capital to the Detroit Pistons to mitigate the negative value of the deals they had just handed several key veterans. Now, they get to clean up the mess made by their own champagne-fueled celebration.
Fair or not, it's the way things go for World Champions in any sport. If Shamet gets a payday from another franchise that forces him not to throw the Knicks a bone, it'd be a great development for him and his career.
The Knicks would just need their league-best front office to pull another rabbit out of their hats. And with the 24th and 31st picks in the upcoming draft, they've got their magic wands already in hand.
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