The Knicks and Pacers are headed for the same expensive crossroads, and it’s coming fast.
Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton are both tied to contracts that run through 2028-29, which means New York and Indiana are staring down the same problem at roughly the same moment: how to keep their star guards while trying to stay clear of the second apron. Brunson does have a player option for that season, so the Knicks may have to deal with his next deal first, but the larger issue is the same for both teams. Extensions are coming, and so are the financial headaches.
That’s the reality the current CBA has forced on the league. Big contracts are no longer just about paying your best players.
They can reshape the entire roster. The Celtics already felt it when they traded Jaylen Brown because of his cap hit, at least in part.
The Thunder have been navigating the same kind of pressure by moving salary to avoid the second apron.
New York and Indiana have built rosters with depth, and that kind of balance has become a major asset in today’s league. But depth gets harder to preserve once the bill comes due.
The Celtics had to part with Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last summer. This summer, Oklahoma City moved Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins.
The same squeeze could hit the Knicks and Pacers once Brunson and Haliburton get paid. In New York, that could put Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart in the danger zone. For Indiana, the names on the line would be Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac, and Andrew Nembhard.
Brunson already took a pay cut to help the Knicks keep players around him, while Haliburton remains on a standard max contract. But when their next deals arrive, both payrolls are going to jump. And once that happens, the second apron stops being a theory and starts becoming a problem.
That’s where the hard choices begin. Trades become part of the conversation.
The roster picture can change quickly. And for two of the East’s projected top teams over the next few years, those decisions may land at nearly the same time - though New York could feel the squeeze first, simply because it already has more big-money contracts on the books.
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