The Knicks have three extension-eligible names on the table in Karl-Anthony Towns, Miles McBride and Josh Hart, but Stefan Bondy of the New York Post doesn’t expect any of them to get a deal done before the season tips off.
Towns is the big swing in the group. He can sign a four-year max extension worth $272MM, but Bondy says that route would bring major salary-cap headaches.
For New York to even consider it, Towns would need to take a steep discount into the $180MM range. McBride presents a different kind of problem: extending him would mean giving up what may be the team’s most movable trade chip.
Hart, meanwhile, remains under team control for two more years, including a team option for the 2027/28 season.
Bondy also reported that the Knicks’ coaching staff is mostly intact, with one notable departure. Assistant Jordan Brink left for the Bulls after deciding Chicago’s offer was too strong to turn down.
Brink also has his eyes on becoming a head coach someday, and Bondy says the Bulls give him a clearer route to that goal than New York. In the front office, senior VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas did not return after his contract expired.
According to Bondy, Rosas was looking for a new opportunity and was not really given a chance to stay.
In Indiana, Tony East of CircleCitySpin.com expects the Pacers to open the year with 14 players on standard contracts, leaving them one short of the maximum. They can add a 15th player on a veteran’s minimum deal beginning in early November if the roster calls for it, though their hard cap status likely means they’ll hold off longer before making that move. East also laid out the reasoning behind the team’s two-way choices, which went to Kobe Brown, Jalen Slawson and rookie Braden Smith.
And in Milwaukee, the Bucks took part in some offseason bonding of their own. JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the team held a players minicamp in Texas this week, with nearly everyone on the current roster in attendance. The event was apparently organized by Myles Turner.
In Other News...
Knicks Still Have One Roster Problem They Can't Afford To Patch
The Knicks still have work to do behind Karl-Anthony Towns, and its the kind of roster issue that can linger until the front office decides it no longer can. Backup center has become a clear spot to monitor, with New York looking for a big who can give the second unit some stability without forcing a major overhaul elsewhere on the roster.
There are a few places to watch if the Knicks keep hunting on the trade market, and the field is wide enough to keep this from feeling like a one-team problem. Charlotte, Portland and Sacramento all have frontcourt pieces that could fit what New York needs, with several names on the board as possible answers if the Knicks decide this is the moment to act. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Just Moved On From A Young Talent Knicks Could Still Unlock
The Knicks still have room to keep tinkering with the back end of the roster, with five spots open and a mix of standard and two-way options available. That kind of flexibility matters this time of year, especially for a team that is trying to balance immediate depth with the longer-term search for a player who can be developed into something more.
Cam Whitmore is one of the more intriguing names in that lane after being waived by Cleveland, and he would fit the profile of a low-risk swing on a young talent with upside. He has already logged three NBA seasons, but consistency has remained the question, which is exactly why a Knicks staff that has shown interest in finding value where other teams have moved on could have a decision to make. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Showed How Desperate They Are To Fill One Spot
Ben Simmons is headed to Sacramento, where he landed a one-year, $3.5 million contract and a clearer path into camp than the Knicks were offering. New York had chased him for the second straight offseason, but the terms on the table told the story of where the team stood: the Kings came with a fully guaranteed deal, while the Knicks were trying to use a more tentative training camp route as they sort through the roster after a championship run and a wave of departures.
For the Knicks, the miss is another reminder that filling out the back end of the roster is now a real priority, not a luxury. They are still looking for players who can stick through camp and give the staff some options, but the Simmons pursuit showed how far they were willing to go and, just as important, how much they still need to settle before opening night arrives. [Read more 🡒]