The New York Knicks' offseason has been nothing short of dramatic following their 2026 NBA Championship victory. James Dolan's latest appearance on WFAN's The Carton show included a reveal from the governor that surpassing the salary cap's second apron is akin to "suicide" in the world of NBA team-building.
That fueled plenty of doubts regarding the Knick futures of both Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet. It also fueled the team's navigation of the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, where Leon Rose and William Wesley's front office made zero first-round selections but amassed five second-round picks.
The Knicks traded back from the 24th pick, landing the 25th. Then traded back from 25th, landing the 30th. And then traded out of the round entirely, saving themselves plenty of money and racking up future draft assets.
The San Antonio Spurs, however, walked away with two rookie centers to help back Victor Wembanyama up. And Tarris Reed Jr., the big man they selected from Connecticut with the 26th overall pick, would certainly have been a great fit behind Karl-Anthony Towns.
Knicks helped the Spurs fix their one of their biggest Finals weaknesses
Throughout the five games it took the Knicks to dispatch the Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals, Luke Kornet's minutes consistently gave San Antonio problems. Backing up the second best player in the entire NBA is no easy task. But the Spurs' big man's struggles became unsustainable for a team trying to produce the league's best defense.
Drafting Jayden Quaintance with the 20th overall pick, and Reed Jr., with the 26th, is an aggressive counter to those struggles. It's impossible to ignore that the Knicks could have added Reed Jr. themselves, with either the 24th or 25th overall pick, had they not been prioritizing savings underneath the second apron.
In any scenario where the Knicks and Spurs are back at it in the NBA Finals, New York will have to grapple with the reality that they may have handed the solution to San Antonio's biggest problem right over.
FanSided's Christopher Kline said Reed projects as a day-one NBA contributor in his final big board, touting his defense, rebounding, and even offensive playmaking.
"Reed led UConn to its third championship appearance in four years. He will block shots and feast on the glass...skilled, funky playmaker on offense, with impressive vision from the elbow and an ability to put the ball on the floor and pirouette through traffic...finishes everything at the rim, with touch on floaters and hook shots...projects as a day-one NBA contributor," Kline wrote.
Knicks will have to save themselves (again [and they probably will])
Passing up on big men like Reed Jr., because of a cap crunch in the wake of a Championship, certainly stings. Simply put, the Knicks have put themselves in a position where landing a capable veteran big man, or re-signing Robinson, have become "musts."
They could have been luxuries, had the team added a center or two in the first round. Whether it was the result of a general refusal to surpass the second apron, or a strategic delay of those penalties, they didn't draft anyone.
Pressure has forced the Knicks' front office to create plenty of diamonds over the past six years. Dolan's cap challenge – finding a backup center while staying under the second apron – is simply the latest of the bunch.
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