Landry Shamet is expected to draw a ton of outside interest in free agency this summer, at which time the New York Knicks will promptly show his suitors why that’s a fool’s errand. They have his Early Bird rights, making it easy to re-sign him.
And it’s apparently thanks to Mike Brown.
Landry Shamet isn’t going anywhere
Let’s start here: NBA inside Marc Stein writes on his Substack that Shamet, an unrestricted free agent, “appears destined to be dealing very soon with a constantly ringing phone.” You don’t need plugged-in sources to surmise this. Shamet is shooting almost 57 percent from three for the playoffs, while posting a top-seven plus-minus for the likely champion. Of course his phone is about to blow up.
Fortunately for the Knicks, this inevitable outside interest is immaterial. Having Shamet’s Early Bird rights means they can offer him a starting take-home worth up to 105 percent of the estimated average salary. Going off next year’s projected average of $14.5 million, this will allow New York to pay Shamet’s as much as $15.2 million 2026-27.
New flash: The Knicks won’t need that much to keep him. A $15.2 million salary leap-frogs the forecasted non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $15 million. Shamet is good, but he is 29 and has a history of injuries. He’s not going from a training-camp deal this past year to a full-MLE earner before next season.
Yet, it’s not about how much the Knicks ultimately offer. It’s that they have the ability to match his market value. They only stand to lose him if they’re worried about paying into the second apron. We already know that this doesn’t faze them. Paying into it next season is actually part of their overarching plan.
As it turns out, though, New York may not have Early Bird rights on Shamet if it wasn’t for Brown.
A phone call changed everything for the Knicks
For so long, it seemed as if the Knicks owed their good fortune to Malcolm Brogdon’s retirement. While his surprise decision paved the way for New York to give its last veteran’s minimum slot to Shamet, he may not have initially returned to the team on a non-guaranteed deal had Brown not called him.
"When I first got the job, I called Landry,” Brown told the media ahead of Game 2 in San Antonio. ‘I said, 'Hey, I want you here. I'm sorry about the way the circumstances are contractually. I have nothing to do with that, but I believe you can help us.’"
As if we needed any more evidence that Brown was an excellent hire.
Sure, from the sound of things, other squads weren’t beating down Shamet’s door with guaranteed roster spots. But given that Brogdon seemed to be legitimately in the running for the final veteran-minimum slot, it’s possible the Knicks would have needed to choose between the two if he never retired.
In an alternative reality, there would be no Early Bird rights. There’d be no Shamet on the Knicks, period. Brown’s phone call suggests New York was always on top of his value—Brogdon or no Brogdon. And the Knicks will now get to keep Shamet amid competition for his services, at a time when they don’t have the resources to replace him, because of it.
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