Knicks brace for costly offseason after ending 53-year title drought
knicks-costly-offseason-outlook-2026
Fresh off the franchise’s first NBA championship since 1973, the New York Knicks are preparing for an expensive summer aimed at keeping the roster intact.
The club has eight players under contract for 2026/27, and guard Jose Alvarado holds a $4.5 million player option. If Alvarado opts in and the Knicks keep the No. 24 pick in the upcoming draft, team payroll would climb to roughly $209 million—about $13 million shy of the league’s second tax apron.
Key bench decisions
Backup center Mitchell Robinson and reserve guard Landry Shamet headline the team’s free-agency priorities.
- Robinson stayed healthy during the regular season and provided reliable minutes behind Karl-Anthony Towns. He struggled in the Finals while playing with a broken bone in his hand and was often removed late in games because of poor free-throw shooting.
- Shamet, signed last year to a veteran-minimum deal, shot 47.5% from three-point range during the playoffs and is expected to draw league-wide interest. “On one of the biggest stages … he shows the world, ‘I can do this,’” coach Mike Brown said.
Brunson’s growing legacy
Finals MVP Jalen Brunson has sparked discussion about being the greatest Knick ever, according to The Athletic’s James L. Edwards. “Jalen Brunson is HIM when it comes to New York basketball,” Brown said after Game 5. Columnist Ian O’Connor notes that Brunson plans to use lingering skepticism as motivation next season.
What might have been with Giannis
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reports the Knicks held serious interest in acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo last summer after the two-time MVP expressed a desire to play in New York. “If [Milwaukee] had been willing to trade him, the Knicks would’ve traded for him,” a source familiar with the talks said.
Title bonus boosts Sochan
Forward Jeremy Sochan nearly doubled his $806,000 salary after joining New York in February; each Knicks player received about $770,000 in championship bonuses, BasketNews reported.
The front office must now weigh the luxury-tax implications of re-signing its bench core while preserving the championship roster that delivered the long-awaited banner.
Source: Hoops Rumors
