The Knicks have spent this offseason doing something every front office wants to do and very few can pull off: keeping the band together without blowing up the books.
With James Dolan’s mandate to stay below the second apron hanging over everything, New York has worked the margins hard, bringing back much of last season’s bench on long-term, cap-friendly deals. That approach matters because the Knicks are already paying big money to their starting five, with extensions for Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart looming. By staying under the second apron, they’ve avoided the harsh roster-building penalties that come with crossing it.
There’s one obvious price for that decision, though. Mitchell Robinson is gone, and that loss is the biggest swing point of the Knicks’ summer. The reserve big man landed with the Boston Celtics on a three-year, $47 million deal, and New York replaced him by signing Andre Drummond as its backup center.
The Knicks may not be finished. They still need a third-string center, and they could still use their final roster spot on another veteran. But with 14 spots filled and five signings already in the books, their free agency work is far enough along to grade.
Start with Drummond, because that’s the move that most clearly shows the tradeoff New York made. Robinson was not perfect - the injury risk, the limitations, the minutes cap were all part of the package - but he was still arguably the best backup center in the league.
Drummond can cover some of that ground as a historically strong rebounder, and he brings a little more on-ball skill. There’s even some room for him to function as a hub in half-court actions and find cutters.
But the drop-off is real. The defense, the finishing at the rim, the physicality - those are the areas where Robinson’s absence will show up.
The real question is whether Drummond can give New York even half of what Robinson did while making about a fifth of the money. That’s still up in the air, and by the time Robinson’s Celtics deal was reported, a lot of the other backup centers were already gone.
Drummond may have been the best option left. He’s fine for 10 to 15 minutes a night.
If Towns gets hurt and Drummond has to stretch into 20-plus minutes, the Knicks will miss Robinson badly. With talk already out there that New York could look for another center during the season, this one is hard to call a home run.
The same cap-conscious thinking shows up in the Knicks’ deal with Landry Shamet, and this one looks a lot cleaner. Shamet’s stock soared after a strong postseason, enough that some around the league were floating a contract north of $10 million per year.
Even $6-8 million seemed plausible. Instead, New York got him back on a deal that feels like a steal if he stays healthy and keeps knocking down 39% of his threes while defending well at the point of attack.
There’s protection built in, too. Only $12 million of the contract is guaranteed, and most of that comes in the first two years. That gives the Knicks a buffer if injuries become an issue, which is really the main concern here.
Jose Alvarado’s return was another sharp piece of business. He had a player option worth $4.5 million for the 2026-27 season, and there was already reporting that the Knicks and Alvarado agreed to push back the decision date on that option before free agency opened.
In the end, New York convinced him to come back with more security and a lower cap hit. He’ll make $4.43 million next season, then $4.79 million the year after, and $5.1 million in the final year.
That’s a little below the value of his original option, and it’s a little surprising the Knicks were able to keep him for that price. The Athletic’s John Holinger had valued Alvarado above the $4.5 million option. Still, this is exactly the kind of move that makes sense for a team trying to stay flexible while keeping a backup point guard who has already shown he can be on the floor in the biggest moments.
Then there’s Diawara, who might end up being the most interesting contract of the bunch. The Knicks were in danger of losing him because of the way his Bird Rights lined up with their cap situation, but instead they locked him into a deal that could turn into one of the best in the NBA.
There’s a clear parallel here to Miles McBride’s extension in 2024: a bet on upside, on a player who has flashed enough in limited minutes to make you believe there’s more coming. Diawara still isn’t a locked-in seventh or eighth man, but the tools are there. He’s long, he’s tall, he can shoot it, he sees the floor, and he has solid defensive instincts.
Knicks fans may be a little higher on him than the rest of the league, and that’s usually how it goes with young players in a home market. But the upside is real.
If Diawara becomes a true rotation wing, New York will have him at an average of just $2.8 million. The deal is also protected well: only $5.3 million is guaranteed, and that money is spread over the first two years.
If he does hit, the third year of the contract - 2028-29 - pays just $2.8 million, which would slot him 156th among NBA salaries right now before any new contracts are signed.
Jordan Clarkson rounds out the group, and his deal comes with the same $2.3 million cap hit as Drummond’s. That’s another front-office win on the cap sheet.
The bigger question is where he fits. Clarkson could end up fifth on the guard depth chart, while Drummond has a much clearer path to being the first big off the bench if Towns runs into foul trouble, unless the Knicks make another move at center.
Clarkson’s game also changed last season. He became a tougher defender, a better rebounder, and more of a hustle player, and he seemed to bring good energy with him.
If he keeps that approach and finds his shot again - he hit just 28.6% from three after the All-Star break - he could absolutely earn rotation minutes. If not, it’s a minimum deal.
He also gave up trade veto power as part of the contract, which gives New York the option to move on later if the fit isn’t there.
So far, the Knicks have done what they set out to do: stay under the second apron, keep depth intact, and do it without lighting money on fire. Whether that was the right call is a separate debate. But as far as the actual signings go, New York has been disciplined, creative, and mostly effective.
In Other News...
Knicks Still Have One Big Question Behind Towns And Drummond
The Knicks have already dealt with a notable shakeup in the middle, losing Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti from their championship group before turning to Andre Drummond on a one-year deal. That move gives New York a veteran body behind Karl-Anthony Towns, but it also leaves the front office still sorting out how much depth it wants to carry at center as the season approaches.
One possible answer is Trey Jemison III, who spent last season on a two-way deal and flashed enough defensive upside to stay on the radar. He played limited minutes, but his size, rim protection and rebounding fit the kind of insurance the Knicks could use if they want another big who can absorb regular-season minutes without forcing a larger role. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Suddenly Sit At Center Of Two Massive East Storylines
The East has spent the summer rearranging itself around a few heavyweight decisions, and Cleveland keeps showing up in the middle of the conversation. The Cavaliers are tied to one of the leagues biggest looming free-agent sagas, while Philadelphia has already made a splash under new team president Mike Gansey by swinging a major trade for Jaylen Brown, a move that instantly changes the look of the conference race.
There is also a more immediate concern closer to home for New York. Jalen Brunson recently revealed he played through a wrist injury during the Eastern Conference Finals and ultimately needed surgery, a reminder of how thin the margin can be in a playoff series that ends the season. With the Knicks still measuring themselves against the top of the East, Brunsons health looms as one of the quieter but most important storylines hanging over everything else. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Suddenly Face A Tough Choice They Did Not Expect
The Knicks offseason has already been busy enough with the usual free-agent housekeeping, but Jack Kayil has added a wrinkle they probably did not see coming. After sorting out a contract issue overseas and getting to the United States, the rookie has looked comfortable in Summer League, flashing enough skill to make himself part of a real roster conversation rather than just a developmental afterthought.
What makes it interesting for New York is the shape of the roster around him. Mitchell Robinson is gone, Ariel Hukporti is now in Boston and Andre Drummond arrived on a one-year veteran-minimum deal to help stabilize the middle, so the Knicks are not exactly short on questions at center. Kayils two-way upside and perimeter touch give the front office something to weigh against the safer path of adding more size, and the decision could say a lot about how aggressively the team wants to balance now and later. [Read more 🡒]