The New York Knicks have officially brought two key members of their 2026 NBA Championship-winning squad back, with Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet both intending to sign multi-year deals according to various reports. Monday's news that Shamet would be staying around on a four-year, $24 million contract came first by way of ESPN, and locked the veteran sharpshooter in through the 2030 season.
That leaves Jordan Clarkson and Mitchell Robinson as the only members of the Knicks' Championship-winning rotation without contracts for next season. If the Knicks truly plan to stay under the salary cap's second apron, as governor James Dolan said they would on WFAN's The Carton Show, that limits how much they can offer the center to stay around.
After re-signing Shamet, cap expert Yossi Gozlan wrote on his Twitter that New York only has $8.7 million left to offer Robinson (and fill out the rest of their roster) next season. Unless the big man is willing to forego the larger offers he'll presumably get from teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, the Knicks might have to prepare to lose their defensive anchor.
Knicks' 2nd apron crunch might force Robinson out of title defense bid
Teams that win the NBA Championship have inherently earned the chance to "run it back." The Knicks, however, had their team governor make clear on local airwaves that they wouldn't be paying the additional costs of surpassing the second apron.
That cast major doubt on the Knicks' chances of keeping their Championship-winning rotation in place. Every move they've made since has secured an additional member of that core for several more seasons, but fans are understandably anxious for any news regarding Robinson's next deal.
Now, the $8.7 million figure provides the most context fans have had yet about their chances to keep Robinson. New York has a $6 million taxpayer mid-level exception and, after their draft-night manuevers, 11 second round picks to play with.
If they can keep Robinson and fill out the rest of their roster with the money they have left, the Knicks' front office might legitimately deserve a Nobel Peace Prize. If not, they'll have to flex their muscles in free agency or on the trade market.
They could sign someone like Kevon Looney, who has experience working with Mike Brown from their days on the Golden State Warriors. They could call up front offices around the league until they find a trade partner, something they've excelled at to the tune of an NBA title.
Either way, the Knicks had some great potential replacements for Robinson staring them right in the face throughout both nights of the 2026 NBA Draft. They passed up on the opportunities to draft any of them, in part because they needed to save every penny possible to stay under the second apron.
Now, the ball is in Robinson's court. Take way less than he's worth to stick around and defend his title? Or cash out on a career's worth of injury troubles? The big man has earned the right to make that decision for himself. The Knicks, however, certainly made it a bit easier by re-signing everyone else first.
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