When the New York Knicks and Mikal Bridges agreed on a 4-year, $150 million contract extension, many were quick to point out that Bridges took $6 million less than he could have in the deal. While that doesn't seem like very much, for a team dancing around the second apron, it could have big implications down the line.
This season, with the Bridges extension, the Knicks will be hard-capped at the second apron, and as they continue to tip-toe around the line of being a serious contender without suffering the crippling penalties the second apron brings, every single dollar will matter.
Speaking to SNY's Ian Begley on The Putback, Spotrac's cap expert, Keith Smith, talked about why the discount matters, saying, "The Knicks have gotten themselves into a situation where they work under pretty tight margins...If they're going to continue to push up against the second apron...It will really matter."
Guerschon Yabusele's recent contract with the Knicks is a prime example of the impact that this type of discount can have. The French big man took slightly less than he could have, which ultimately gave the Knicks enough cap space to add another depth piece to the bench through the veteran minimum.
The Knicks will have to operate in the margins
Jalen Brunson set the tone for the Knicks by taking a massive discount last year, roughly $113 million lower than he could have received. That deal has allowed the Knicks' front office to build a championship-caliber roster around him.
Now, the difficult part comes, keeping that championship-caliber roster around him while maintaining the flexibility to make upgrades around the edges, something that gets increasingly more difficult if you are over the second apron, where you can't aggregate salaries in trades or add players in the buyout market.
A lot is riding on this year
If the Knicks can prove that they have the right group of players on this roster, by reaching their first finals of the century, there is always the chance that ownership is comfortable going into the second apron, at least for a season or two, while they try to win a title.
That said, if they come up short or lose early in the playoffs, it might be more likely that they make a major shakeup rather than dealing with all of the tax punishments that will come from keeping this roster together. They have more big decisions to make before then, like what to do with potential extensions for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.