The New York Knicks are an expensive team, which is no secret. They have three starters on contracts worth nine figures, and have extensions to work out with Mikal Bridges and Mitchell Robinson, which will only add more money to the books.
The Knicks have been limited in spending in free agency
Despite being as close as they are to the second apron, they were still able to make a couple of key free agent signings. They added Jordan Clarkson for the veteran’s minimum, and they signed Guerschon Yabusele for just under the midlevel exception.
Therefore, they still have room to add another player to a veteran’s minimum, but anything more than that would necessitate a trade. An anonymous Knicks coach spoke to Spotrac’s Keith Smith and detailed their limitations with the market this offseason.
“We didn’t have a lot we could do, because of the apron. But we were able to land a really good big man in Guerschon (Yabusele) and an experienced backup guard in Jordan (Clarkson). We feel pretty good about getting those two guys,” the coach said (h/t The Sporting News’ Alex Kirschenbaum).
The Knicks would be in the second apron if not for Jalen Brunson’s historic pay cut that he took last offseason when he signed his extension. Currently, they are just approximately $3 million from reaching the second apron, per Spotrac, which would then hard cap their abilities to improve the roster beyond what they have.
The Knicks might need to make some tough decisions soon
At this time, there hasn’t been much of an indication that certain players are on the trade block, but it may not be long before they start entertaining those conversations. As previously mentioned, Robinson is one of the players who is extension-eligible, though keeping him around long-term is not guaranteed thanks to his lengthy injury history.
New York also has other players high on the payroll who could be dealt for a better player or to free up cap space. Alternatively, they can stay away from making a massive trade and keeping the current roster intact.
However, doing so would mean banking on this group of players to deliver a championship, though that is certainly a realistic possibility. Nevertheless, the Knicks have opted against a massive roster shake-up and are making moves that teeter on the line of the dreaded second apron, which they will hope can result in a championship next season.
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