Mitchell Robinson wasn’t the only piece the Knicks put at risk when James Dolan said New York wouldn’t cross into the second apron this summer.
Robinson’s departure was the obvious fallout. But the decision to avoid the apron also pushed the Knicks into trading away the draft pick that became Cameron Carr, and that move could sting just as much.
New York sent out the No. 24 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft so it could move back into the second round and sidestep the cost of a first-round rookie-scale contract. The team has since draft-and-stashed Jack Kayil and still hasn’t made its plans clear with Tyler Nickel.
That may look manageable on the surface, especially with OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart carrying heavy wing minutes. But the depth behind that trio is shaky, and the Knicks are leaning on more hope than certainty to make it work.
Carr, though, looks like the kind of player New York could really use.
The 21-year-old wing is 6-foot-5 with a 7-foot-0.75 wingspan. He also brought elite athletic pop to the 2026 NBA Draft Combine, posting a 42.5-inch max vertical and finishing in the top five among wings in every agility drill.
That physical profile shows up on the court. Carr makes plays as a help defender, blocks shots and jumps passing lanes with ease. He’s also shown real upside defending the ball on the perimeter.
And there’s more than just tools here. Carr hit 37.4 percent of his threes in 2025-26, taking 6.1 per game, and he often launched from well beyond the NBA three-point line. Add in the shot-creation flashes and the aerial ability, and he profiles as an athletic 3-and-D wing with real starter upside.
For a Knicks team that needs size, length and more bodies behind Anunoby, Bridges and Hart, that’s a hard miss to ignore. The concern gets even sharper when you look ahead: Hart can become a free agent in 2027, and Anunoby in 2028.
So while the apron decision may have solved one problem for New York, it may have created another. If Carr reaches the level his tools suggest, the Knicks may end up regretting the first-round pick they chose to move on from.
In Other News...
Knicks Title Buzz Cant Hide A Long-Term Roster Problem
The Knicks can enjoy the title buzz that has followed them, but the longer view keeps circling back to the same problem: a roster built to win now is not especially friendly to staying elite later. The Second Apron makes it harder to keep adding around the edges, and the front office is staring at a future in which the cost of retaining the core starts to climb while the teams supply of young, low-cost contributors remains thin.
That matters because New York does not have much margin for error if it wants to remain a contender beyond the next couple of seasons. The safest path is usually a pipeline of younger players who can absorb minutes, develop, and eventually fill bigger roles without crushing the cap sheet, and the Knicks have not really lived in that space. If they want this era to last, they may need to make a stronger commitment to those players now, even if it means sacrificing some short-term comfort. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Champion Trey Jemison Had Another Huge Celebration This Summer
After helping the Knicks capture their first NBA championship since 1973 during the 2026 season, Trey Jemison had another reason to celebrate this summer. The New York big man and his wife, sports broadcaster Alex Jean Glover, marked their marriage with a Western-themed wedding reception in Tennessee on Aug. 21, a fittingly festive cap to a year that already changed both his professional and personal life.
The reception carried extra meaning because the couple had kept part of their love story under wraps before inviting family and friends to share in the celebration. By the time they gathered in Tennessee, the marriage was already official, and the night became less about introductions than about finally bringing everyone into the story. For a Knicks player fresh off a title run, it was another memorable chapter in a summer that did not exactly slow down. [Read more 🡒]
Nets See Early Signs Their Roster Might Be Tougher Than Expected
Brooklyns rebuild has already started to show up in the tone around the roster, even if the results are still waiting to catch up. Chaney Johnson, one of the Nets two-way players, pointed to the groups willingness to improve after last seasons 20-win finish and singled out Julius Randle as a meaningful addition, while also noting the offseason growth of Nolan Traore as another encouraging sign.
For the Knicks, there is a familiar kind of caution in all of this, because a rival that looks more organized early can still be kept in check if the focus stays on development and managing the rotation. New York is expected to lean into that approach, with younger players potentially getting more opportunity as the season unfolds, a balancing act that could shape both the standings and the way the first few months are judged. [Read more 🡒]