As the New York Knicks continue to operate like they’ll refuse to pay the second apron, they might want to keep an eye on what Nikola Jokic is doing with the Denver Nuggets. His apparent willingness to forgo an extension is a decision Jalen Brunson could make one year from now if the team keeps pinching pennies.
Jokic is currently eligible to sign a four-year max extension with the Nuggets worth a projected $273.3 million. He opted against putting pen to paper on a new three-year deal last offseason specifically so he could accept this longer one now.Â
Or so Denver thought.
The three-time MVP may decide against signing an extension, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. This would set him up to decline his player option next summer, and enter unrestricted free agency.
Ever the low-maintenance superstar, Jokic is potentially breaking character in order to apply pressure on the Nuggets. They have spent their post-championship run erring in internal contract negotiations, and more recently, using draft equity to cut salary rather than sufficiently augment the core around their superstar.
With Brunson eligible for an extension himself in 2027, the Knicks better be taking notes.
The Knicks could be forcing Brunson’s hand
People will laugh off the idea that Brunson would turn down the payday he’s been waiting on. They did the same with Jokic. Look what’s happening now.
New York will be closer to its championship victory than Denver when Brunson’s extension eligibility rolls around, which could help its case. This team has a legitimate chance of becoming the first repeat squad since the Kevin Durant-era Golden State Warriors, too.
Still, the Knicks are simultaneously playing with fire. In a mandate that shocked the front office, owner James Dolan is unwilling to let the team cross into the second apron, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz. Unless something changes, this will cost New York Mitchell Robinson. It may also lead to them losing Landry Shamet.
This alone is a stance that should anger the ever-living heck out of Brunson. He didn’t take the bargain-bin extension he’s on just so Dolan could sidestep the second apron forever.Â
Brunson may need to give the Knicks a reality check
Wasting any opportunity to maximize your championship when Brunson is this good verges on malpractice by Dolan. Don’t waste your breath defending him in the face of second-apron restrictions, either. The penalties for this team wouldn’t be truly prohibitive for another two years.
Plus, this summer’s thinking doesn’t augur well for the future. If Dolan isn’t willing to enter the second apron now, this won’t necessarily change next offseason, when Karl-Anthony Towns (player option) and Deuce McBride are eligible for new deals.
It should not fall on Brunson to send a message to Dolan. And look, he may not take it upon himself to do so. The money might be too much. Using a $181.9 million salary-cap projection for 2028-29, when Brunson’s extension would kick in, he’ll be eligible to sign a four-year, $285.2 million extension around this time next summer.
Who in their right mind would turn down that money? Well, how about Brunson? He already walked away from tens of millions in guaranteed money to maximize the Knicks’ title odds. Who’s to say he won’t do the same to let them (read: Dolan) know that cutting corners around the second apron at the expense of their on-court product is unacceptable?
If the Knicks are smart, they will do what it takes—whatever it takes—to ensure they never find out.Â
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