Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart are feeling the squeeze that comes with the Knicks’ second-apron reality, and both players made that clear when they spoke on Monday.
New York is one of 29 NBA teams sitting under the salary cap’s second apron, a line the league has used to push teams toward tighter spending and, in theory, more balance across the board. The effect has been obvious enough: the NBA has had eight different champions in the last eight seasons.
For the Knicks, though, that policy has created a more immediate problem. As they prepare to defend their title, they do so without new deals for either of their two extension-eligible starters - or reserve guard Miles McBride - after James Dolan said four days after the team’s Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs that it’d be “basketball suicide” to go beyond that threshold.
That backdrop framed the questions Towns and Hart faced at media day. Neither would have been there at all without a contract that kept them tied to New York through this season, but both are now eligible to sign new deals. And while neither sounded like a breakup was looming, each acknowledged that the uncertainty eventually seeps in.
Hart, according to Newsday’s Steve Popper, said the lack of an extension isn’t hurting him right now and won’t, at least to begin the season. Still, he made it clear there’s a point where the conversation becomes harder to ignore. He pointed to February as the moment when his camp and the Knicks’ front office would need to be closer to the same number, noting how drawn-out talks can wear on players “on a human level.”
“If some of these things aren't finished by February, it might be a different situation,” the typically-indefatigable Swiss Army knife established.
Towns was even more direct. Asked whether he’d be comfortable letting negotiations spill into the 2026-27 regular season, he gave reporters in Tarrytown a blunt answer, per SNY’s Ian Begley.
“I think in this situation there’s no comfortability to be had,” the center told reporters in Tarrytown, according to SNY's Ian Begley.
Towns does have some security. He and the Knicks still have time to reach an agreement, and if they don’t, he holds a $61 million player option for the 2027-28 season. But the All-NBA big man has made it plain that he wants long-term stability, and after the postseason run that helped end New York’s championship drought, that’s not exactly a surprise.
At the same time, the Knicks have every reason to want flexibility. In a league where proven stars like Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson are taking team-friendlier max deals instead of supermax money, it’s only logical that New York would hope Towns comes in a little below the top of the market. For now, the signs still point toward a deal getting done.
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