The Knicks may be looking at Karl-Anthony Towns’ extension situation through a much bigger lens than one contract.
Reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania says New York and Towns remain far apart in negotiations, but that gap could be intentional. Rather than forcing a deal now, the Knicks may be positioning themselves to handle Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Deuce McBride in one sweeping round of business next summer.
Towns would have a $61 million player option next summer if he does not sign an extension. Brunson is eligible for a four-year max extension projected at $286.5 million. Anunoby can also qualify for the same extension Brunson can sign, McBride is headed for unrestricted free agency, and Hart will have a $22.4 million team option.
On paper, that is a lot to juggle. In practice, it could give New York a rare chance to line up its core in one negotiation cycle and sort through salary structures together, the way a team might map out multiple deals at once to keep an ensemble intact.
That matters because the Knicks are trying to keep this group together while staying out of the second apron. If five of their core six players are dealing with extensions or new contracts at the same time, Leon Rose’s front office would have a clearer shot at building a full financial picture and figuring out how much room there really is for each player.
Brunson sits at the center of all of it. His next number will shape everything that follows.
If he takes the max, that changes the math. If he accepts another discount, that changes it in a different way.
Either path gives New York something concrete to work with, and that kind of certainty can be valuable when the rest of the roster is also in motion.
Towns’ situation fits into that same framework. The lack of an extension could mean he wants more than the Knicks are offering. It could also mean he understands the team’s second-apron pressure and is willing to wait until the front office has a clearer view of both the short-term and long-term cap sheet.
If Towns and the Knicks are aligned on timing, next summer’s player option becomes a formality rather than a problem. And for everyone invested in this roster, that is the outcome worth hoping for.
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That reality only sharpens the debate around last years draft board, where several players taken in the same range have already looked like cleaner fits. Kyshawn George, Terrence Shannon Jr., Ajay Mitchell, Jaylen Wells and Oso Ighodaro all came off the board around Dadiet, and each name makes the Knicks decision look a little heavier in retrospect, especially with salary structure and roster space now part of the equation. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger issue is less about the paperwork than the possible distraction if negotiations drag on. Hart acknowledged the kind of uncertainty that can creep in when extension talks remain open, and he made clear he does not want the situation hanging over the team for long. For the Knicks, it is another reminder that even in a focused locker room, contract questions can quickly become part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Brunsons Knicks Reaction Made This Celtics Departure Feel Personal
Jalen Brunson has spent the early part of the Knicks summer acknowledging how much Mitchell Robinson meant to the group that reached the championship stage, while also turning the page toward what comes next. Robinsons departure leaves a real void in New Yorks frontcourt, and it is the kind of move that changes both the on-court rotation and the emotional feel of a locker room that had leaned on his presence.
Andre Drummond is now part of that answer, and Brunson sounded encouraged by what the veteran can bring to the mix. The Knicks do not have to wait long for the first test of the transition, either, with early-season matchups looming against the 76ers and Celtics, giving Drummond an immediate chance to settle in and see how New Yorks reshaped big-man group holds up against familiar competition. [Read more 🡒]