The Knicks did plenty right this summer to keep the core intact, but Miles McBride still hangs over everything. His extension situation remains unresolved, and the way Peyton Watson’s contract standoff is playing out in Denver is offering New York a very clear preview of what can go wrong.
Watson still doesn’t have a deal with the Nuggets, and after Denver matched Spencer Jones’ offer sheet, the pressure around that situation only grew. If Watson takes his qualifying offer, he’d be headed for unrestricted free agency next summer. That would leave Denver staring at the same kind of choice New York may eventually face with McBride: trade him, or risk losing him later.
That’s the uncomfortable part for the Knicks. If McBride opens next season without a new contract, the front office could be forced into a difficult decision before the trade deadline.
They could keep him around for a title push, but only by letting the deal run out. That’s not just a theory - it’s a path that’s already been walked in the league.
In the 2025 campaign, Al Horford played out an expiring contract for the Boston Celtics, who wanted him for the postseason, only to lose him to the Golden State Warriors in free agency that summer.
The best-case outcome for New York is obvious: get McBride extended and avoid the whole mess. But with the Knicks so close to the second apron, that may be easier said than done.
So the questions pile up fast. Do the Knicks pay more to keep McBride?
Do they move him by the deadline? Do they let the contract expire?
Denver may soon be asking the same thing about Watson if he takes the qualifying offer.
The Nuggets are feeling the squeeze from the second apron too. Oklahoma City put them in a tight spot by offering Jones a two-year, $12 million deal, and once Denver matched it, the Nuggets were pushed over the second apron. That has already limited what they can do, including any sign-and-trade moves for now.
And because Denver doesn’t want to push much further past that line, the Watson situation is effectively frozen for the moment. If he goes the qualifying-offer route, the Nuggets would be left with the same ugly choice New York is trying to avoid: trade him by the deadline or watch him reach unrestricted free agency next summer.
For both teams, the second apron is shaping the whole conversation. And it could cost them key pieces.
In Other News...
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Karl-Anthony Towns also knows the first matchup with Robinson will come with a little extra weirdness, because the two were teammates and remain close friends. Even without the on-court stakes, seeing a familiar big man in a different uniform is the kind of thing that tends to linger, especially when it comes against a rival that has suddenly reshaped its own center spot. [Read more 🡒]
Karl-Anthony Towns Sent A Finals Message To Victor Wembanyama
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Towns made life difficult for Wembanyama defensively and used his physical edge to challenge him on the other end, turning the series into a direct test of force and skill. Wembanyama still put up big scoring numbers, but the shot-making was not as clean as the raw points suggested, and Towns performance added another layer to the long-running conversation about his own reputation and how he wants to be viewed when the pressure is highest. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Championship Window Suddenly Faces A Karl-Anthony Towns Pressure Point
Karl-Anthony Towns is already part of the Knicks long-term core, but the next layer of his contract is the kind of detail front offices have to keep in the back of their minds even while the focus stays on winning now. He is set to make $57.1 million in 2026-27, and the bigger decision sits right behind it, one more reminder that elite talent comes with elite cap consequences.
For the Knicks, the challenge is not just paying Towns, it is doing it while trying to preserve the flexibility that keeps a championship roster from hardening too quickly. Towns also controls the next step, with a player option worth roughly $62 million for 2027-28 and the ability to choose whether to pick it up, seek a longer arrangement or keep his future year by year, which leaves New York managing both a title window and a very expensive leverage point. [Read more 🡒]