The New York Knicks have a problem. They want to keep their roster together after winning a title, but the NBA’s second apron is basically designed to stop them from doing exactly that. Team owner James Dolan already said publicly he doesn’t want to go over it. That puts the front office in a tough spot with several key role players hitting free agency.
Enter Karl-Anthony Towns. The guy who just helped them win it all might also be the one who saves their cap sheet.
The numbers on Towns’ current deal
Towns is due $57 million for the 2026-27 season. He has a player option for roughly $62 million the year after that. But he could opt out this summer and sign a new deal with the Knicks instead. And based on what he told Club Shay Shay recently, he seems open to taking less money. The same kind of less that Jalen Brunson took, actually.
If Towns opts out, he could sign a four-year deal worth up to $272 million. Taking a $100 million haircut on that brings it down to four years at $172 million. That works out to about $43 million per year. And because of how NBA contracts and raises work, the first year would probably be even lower than that.
Why one year over the apron isn’t the end of the world
The second apron for 2026-27 is projected at $222.372 million. Going over it means you can’t aggregate salaries in trades, can’t send cash in deals, lose your mid-level exceptions, and get hit with draft pick penalties. It’s not great. But the Knicks might not have a choice for one season.
Let’s run the math. Assume Jose Alvarado picks up his $4.5 million player option. That puts New York at about $205.5 million. Move Pacome Dadiet and save roughly $3 million. Now you’re around $202 million. But rookie Mohamed Diawara’s first-year salary of $3.2 million basically wipes out that saving. And they still need to re-sign Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet.
A reasonable guess: Robinson gets $18 million next season. Shamet gets $8 million. That pushes the Knicks to about $231 million. That’s around $9 million over the second apron.
They could trade Miles McBride and Tyler Kolek to save about $6.25 million. But that drops them to only nine players under contract. They’d have to sign five guys to minimum deals. You’re probably still over the apron either way. Dolan might not love it but the math is what it is.
Getting back under in 2027-28 is the real trick
Here’s where the Towns pay cut really helps. Even if the Knicks blow past the second apron in 2026-27, they can duck back under it the following season. That avoids those punitive draft pick penalties that carry over.
The second apron for 2027-28 is calculated at 134.4% of the salary cap. Current estimates put it around $233 million. Assuming the Towns, Robinson, and Shamet deals outlined above, the Knicks would have about $220 million committed to eight players. They’d need to fill six more roster spots.
New York owns three second-round picks in the 2027 draft thanks to some trade maneuvering. Veteran minimum deals carry a $2.45 million cap hit. Rookie minimums are around $1.5 million. So the Knicks could sign three rookies and three veterans to round out the roster. That keeps their total just under $233 million. Just barely. But under is under.
The second apron is meant to be a trap for good teams. The Knicks might step in it for one year. But with Towns willing to take less, they’ve got a clear path back out.
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