The Knicks are staring at a summer where standing pat probably won’t be enough.
Yes, the core is still there. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart remain intact for the 2026-27 season, and New York has already patched one hole by bringing in Andre Drummond after Mitchell Robinson’s departure to Boston. Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet are back, too.
But repeating is brutal, and the Eastern Conference has already shifted around them with Giannis Antetokounmpo joining the Miami Heat and Jaylen Brown shockingly heading to Philadelphia. If the Knicks want another run at the title, they need more than continuity. They need veterans who can hold up the regular season grind without messing with what already works.
That’s why the offseason board should be built around experienced, low-drama additions. New York doesn’t need a fantasy makeover, and LeBron James isn’t walking through that door anyway. What it does need is depth, shooting, defense, and a few players who understand exactly how to fit into a contender.
DeMar DeRozan sits at the top of that list. If he becomes available after a potential departure from Sacramento, the Knicks should be all over the idea of signing him on a veteran’s minimum contract.
At 36, he’s not carrying an offense like an All-Star anymore, but he still put up 18.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 0.3 BPG on 49.7% FG, 32.0% 3-PT FG, and 86.8% FT in 77 games, all 77 starts. The appeal here is simple: he wouldn’t need to be the guy.
He’d just need to create shots when Brunson sits, and that’s a terrifying luxury for everyone else in the league.
Jonas Valanciunas is another name that makes a ton of sense. The big man averaged 8.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.2 SPG, and 0.6 BPG on 58.2% FG, 30.8% 3-PT FG, and 77.2% FT in 65 games last season, and he could give New York something it still lacks: another proven starting-caliber center behind Karl-Anthony Towns.
Even after the Drummond signing, there’s a real case that Valanciunas would jump him on the depth chart. He’d add offense, insurance, and the kind of frontcourt security contenders love to have.
Kevon Looney belongs in the conversation for the same reason. Championship teams can never have too much size, and Looney brings playoff experience, rebounding, screening, and interior defense.
He averaged 2.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, and 0.5 BPG in 21 games last season, and while he’s no longer in his prime, he knows exactly how to help winning teams. He also proved his value with the Warriors in their 2022 championship season.
Gary Payton II would give the Knicks a different kind of edge. Defense travels, and he’s one of the league’s best perimeter defenders.
The 2022 NBA champion averaged 7.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.9 SPG, and 0.3 BPG on 58.3% FG, 29.1% 3-PT FG, and 65.0% FT in 73 games in 2025-26. His energy lines up neatly with Mike Brown’s identity, and he’d bring a defensive specialist’s mindset to a team that already prides itself on that end.
Gary Trent Jr. is the shooting option. New York knows what happens when the perimeter goes cold, and Trent Jr. gives them another dependable floor spacer who can step in when Landry Shamet or Miles McBride hit rough patches.
He posted 8.1 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG, and 0.0 BPG on 38.7% FG and 36.0% 3-PT FG in 65 games with 21 starts last season. It wasn’t his sharpest year, but the fit is obvious: quick scoring, solid defense, no need for a huge role.
Jordan Clarkson rounds out the group as another scoring boost off the bench. Last season, he averaged 8.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.4 SPG, and 0.1 BPG on 45.1% FG, 32.7% 3-PT FG, and 83.0% FT in 72 games.
The Knicks have had stretches where Brunson sits and the offense bogs down, and Clarkson can help smooth that out over the long regular season. With 12 seasons in the league, he knows his lane, and if he’s willing to take a discounted two-year deal, he’d be a strong fit.
For a team trying to defend a title, that’s the theme of the summer: experienced players who can raise the floor, protect the stars, and keep New York steady through 82 games and four playoff rounds.
In Other News...
Knicks May Already Regret This Cost Cutting Draft Decision
The Knicks went into draft night looking to trim rookie costs, trading back in the 2026 NBA draft and using the savings to help re-sign Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet. On paper, it was a tidy bit of roster management for a team trying to balance immediate depth with future flexibility, especially after passing on Baylors Cameron Carr and St. Johns Zuby Ejiofor.
Summer League has made that decision look a little more complicated. Carr has flashed real scoring pop, while Ejiofor has already shown he can fill up the box score for Atlanta, and both performances have only sharpened the sense that New York may have let useful young talent slip away. With the Knicks still juggling veteran additions and the long-term picture around the roster, the question now is whether the cost-cutting move left them thinner in the one area contenders can least afford to be: development. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Know Jalen Brunsons Bargain Deal Wont Last Much Longer
Donovan Mitchells new four-year, $273 million extension in Cleveland is the latest reminder of where the market is headed, and it puts Jalen Brunsons situation back in sharp focus for the Knicks. Brunsons current deal has been a major win for New York, giving the team real breathing room while he has grown into the centerpiece of the offense and one of the leagues most reliable guards.
The hard part is what comes next. Brunsons contract was always going to age into a bargain, and the Knicks know the bill is coming eventually, whether they try to handle it early or let the calendar push him closer to the open market. However it unfolds, New York is headed toward a future in which keeping Brunson in orange and blue will require a massive commitment. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Think Karl-Anthony Towns Is Just Scratching The Surface
Karl-Anthony Towns already showed how dangerous he can be when the Knicks put the ball in his hands, using him as a playmaker during their championship run and leaning on that versatility to help erase a series deficit against the Hawks. It was a reminder that his value in New York goes beyond the usual scoring and rebounding expectations, especially when the offense is built to let him read the floor and make decisions.
An assistant coach believes there is still plenty more to mine from that approach, with the Knicks planning to expand the Towns-centered packages once they get a full training camp to work with. Roster changes and the possibility of young players taking a step forward could open even more lanes for the offense next season, but the biggest question is how much of the attack can be built around Towns when the supporting cast around him looks a little different. [Read more 🡒]