The Knicks can open the season without putting every contract issue to bed, and that’s exactly how this is shaping up. According to SNY’s Ian Begley on Thursday, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and Miles McBride are all unlikely to reach extensions before the regular season starts.
That gives New York three separate situations to manage, not one lumped-together problem. Towns is the pricey centerpiece, Hart is woven into the way the Knicks play, and McBride has earned a steady role in the rotation. The team can still move forward with all three unsigned, but after a championship run, it also has to decide what each of them is worth.
Towns is the biggest call. He averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds last season, and he’s due about $57 million in 2026-27 before a player option the season after that. ESPN reported last month that extension talks had stalled, and any new agreement would keep a major frontcourt piece in place for longer while also tying up a huge chunk of future payroll.
Hart and McBride are different kinds of negotiations, but they matter just the same. Hart’s impact shows up in the little things: rebounding, pushing the pace and filling gaps when the lineup gets small, even when his scoring comes and goes. McBride gives Mike Brown another guard who can defend and function without needing the ball in his hands.
Hart also arrives at camp with a finger injury to keep an eye on. That issue is separate from the contract talks, but it still shapes how the Knicks have to think about him.
Nothing here suggests a holdout is coming. The real question is whether New York gains anything by waiting for more clarity or simply risks making the same deals more expensive later.
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Jalen Brunsons Next Knicks Deal Could Change Everything Around Him
Jalen Brunson has already shown where his priorities sat when he signed his four-year, $156.5 million extension in 2024, taking less than he could have gotten to give the Knicks room to build a roster that could chase a title. It worked. New York went on to win the NBA championship, and Brunson was named Finals MVP, a fitting payoff for a point guard who put team success ahead of maximizing his own payday.
Now the next chapter could reshape the economics around him all over again. Fred Katz of The Athletic projects Brunson to land a four-year, $290 million extension that would begin in the 2028-29 season, a jump that would take his salary into a completely different tier and change the way the Knicks have to think about the core they are building. For a franchise that already benefited from Brunsons sacrifice, the looming question is how much flexibility remains when his next deal arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Kolek Is Handling A Tough Knicks Reality The Right Way
Tyler Kolek has spent much of his early Knicks run in a familiar NBA holding pattern: waiting for a real opening while trying to make the most of the minutes he gets. The third-year point guard has kept the right attitude through that uncertainty, talking about the need for consistency, confidence and aggression in his own game while also showing the kind of perspective that comes from sharing a backcourt with Jalen Brunson.
For a young player, that can be a tricky spot to navigate, especially when the rotation is crowded and the outside noise never really stops. Kolek has handled it by staying focused on improvement instead of dwelling on the frustration, but his role in New York still feels unsettled, and his next chance to build momentum may come only if the situation around him changes. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Face One Clear Roster Choice As Camp Battle Looms
The Knicks still have two open roster spots as camp approaches, but the path to filling them is not nearly as simple as it looks on paper. With limited flexibility, the front office appears to be leaning toward adding a younger big man, with several options in the 25-to-29 age range under consideration as the team continues to shape the back end of the roster.
There is also the matter of how much room can be created if the Knicks want to do more than one addition before camp truly settles in. Final roster decisions could end up hinging on trades and what the coaching staff values most, which leaves the next move tied as much to fit as to availability. Pacme Dadiet has reportedly been shopped in that mix, a sign the Knicks are still trying to balance present need with a little extra roster flexibility. [Read more 🡒]