The Knicks’ biggest offseason question may not be about adding talent at all - it may be about keeping Karl-Anthony Towns on a number that makes sense.
Jared Schwartz of the New York Post reports that Towns is set to make $57.1MM next season and has a $61MM option for the 2027/28 campaign. He’s also eligible for a four-year extension projected at $272MM, which would carry a massive average annual value of $68MM.
If Towns passes on that option and waits for next offseason, Schwartz notes he could land the projected standard veteran maximum of $266.6MM over four years. And if he takes the option first and then hits the market in 2028, the payday could be even bigger.
That leaves the Knicks with a familiar kind of pressure point. Jalen Brunson already gave the team a discount on his extension to preserve cap flexibility, and now the question is whether Towns would be willing to follow that path and lock in before next season.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division, the Sixers officially announced LeBron James’ deal, and managing partner Josh Harris made it clear he’s thrilled about the fit. “I cannot wait to see LeBron alongside Jaylen Brown, VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and our talented roster as we work to deliver a championship for Philly,” Harris said. “To LeBron and his family: we are grateful you chose the 76ers, and look forward to this next chapter of your legendary career.”
President of basketball operations Mike Gansey also issued a statement, leaning into his long relationship with James. “There is no doubt LeBron is one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball and there are no words to measure the impact he’ll have on this organization,” he said.
“I have had the pleasure of knowing LeBron since high school and have seen the high-level impact he’s produced at every stop of his basketball journey. He is a consummate professional, the ultimate competitor, and a tireless worker.
But he is also an incredible person with natural leadership traits, a family man, and someone who possesses unwavering commitment to community and those around him.”
Schwartz also noted that James commuting from New York City to Philadelphia was another sign he would have seriously considered the Knicks. But no deal ever came together, and after New York won a championship in June, neither side pursued one. The Knicks, according to Schwartz, believe they can repeat with the roster already in place - though that confidence still has to be proven in the postseason.
On the Nets side, Brian Lewis of the New York Post took a Summer League look at the roster’s winners and losers, and Noah Clowney landed firmly in the latter group. Brooklyn added Julius Randle, while second-year forward Danny Wolf and rookie Joshua Jefferson are both expected to compete for minutes at power forward. Clowney is eligible for restricted free agency in the 2027 offseason unless he signs a rookie scale extension.
Lewis also pointed to second-year players Ben Saraf and Drake Powell as names with plenty to prove after disappointing showings in Las Vegas.
In Other News...
Knicks Just Slammed The Door On LeBron And Giannis Talk
The Knicks spent plenty of time as a speculative landing spot for the leagues biggest names, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James both surfacing in the conversation at different points. But after the title run, the discussion has shifted from what New York still needs to how much of the roster already proved it can carry the load, especially with Karl-Anthony Towns giving the offense another layer as a playmaker from the top of the key.
That matters because any real pursuit of a star of that caliber would have come with a steep price in both money and pieces, the kind of move that usually forces a team to part with key starters. Instead, the championship has made the Knicks look far less desperate for a splash, and it has also changed the way the league views their offseason path, with the biggest question now being whether New York even wants to keep chasing that kind of upgrade at all. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Just Got Pulled Into A Wild LeBron And Giannis Twist
The Knicks championship spring changed the way they approached the 2026 offseason, even as two of the leagues biggest names were on the move. Instead of chasing a splashy upgrade, New York stayed content with the roster that had just delivered a title, a decision that helped frame the rest of the market when LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo entered the picture.
Both stars were linked to New York in reports, but the Knicks never moved aggressively once their own championship status gave them a different kind of leverage. LeBron wound up with the 76ers and Giannis was sent to the Heat, leaving the Knicks to watch two headline swings land elsewhere while they kept their focus on defending what they already had. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Silence On Two-Way Deals Has Fans Watching The Frontcourt Closely
The Knicks still have two-way contract openings sitting untouched, and the silence has started to feel deliberate rather than accidental. With rookies and other fringe candidates available, the front office has left itself room to sort through the back end of the roster while keeping an eye on a bigger need up front, a sign this could be more about timing than indecision.
Liam Robbins, Trey Jemison, Jack Kayil and Tyler Nickel are among the names in the mix for those spots, while Kevin McCullar Jr. has been pushed away from that conversation. The more interesting part is what the Knicks may be waiting on before they move, because their frontcourt search has not been limited to the margins and those two-way decisions could still be tied to a larger swing elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]