As of Sunday morning, the reigning champion Knicks have 13 players on guaranteed standard contracts and are approximately $3.27MM below the second tax apron, per Yossi Gozlan of CapSheets.com.
Owner James Dolan said shortly after New York won its first title in 53 years that the Knicks won’t surpass the second apron in 2026/27, and then the team let Mitchell Robinson walk in free agency. After eight years in New York, the 28-year-old center signed a three-year, $47.4MM deal with the division rival Celtics.
Robinson brought a unique skill set to the Knicks, as he’s arguably the best offensive rebounder in the NBA, an excellent screener, and a strong, versatile defender. However, he’s never been much of a scoring threat, and he’s also been plagued by injuries throughout his career.
New York also lost its third-string center, Ariel Hukportiwho signed a one-year, $3.4MM deal with another Atlantic Division rival in Philadelphia. The German big man didn’t play much in his first two seasons, but obviously the Sixers liked what they saw of him when he did receive minutes.
In the wake of those departures, the Knicks signed veteran center Andre Drummond to one-year minimum-salary deal to serve as a backup to Karl-Anthony Towns. Drummond will earn $3.88MM in 2026/27, while New York will carry a $2.45MM cap hit.
However, the team is still searching for depth in the middle, having been linked to a handful of young big men this offseason. The Knicks signed restricted free agent Moussa Cisse to a two-year, minimum-salary offer sheet, which the Mavericks matched, and have also been connected to Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic of the Pelicans and Hornets center Moussa Diabate.
Cisse’s contract is currently non-guaranteed and will become partially guaranteed for $1.1MM if he’s still on Dallas’ roster past September 1. His full $2.2MM salary will be guaranteed after Oct. 1. Although it seems somewhat unlikely, the Mavs, who are facing a minor roster crunch, theoretically might waive the Guinean big man.
Ian Begley of SNY.tv has reported that the Knicks have been in contact with multiple free agent centers as they weigh their options to fill their third spot. However, Begley pointed out that if they were prepared to give a guaranteed deal to any of those players, it would likely already be done.
That’s why – unless the Knicks make a trade for a third center or someone unexpected (like Cisse) gets waived – Begley anticipates that the team will bring in multiple big men on non-guaranteed contracts to compete for that role.
Adding a veteran on a minimum-salary deal would result in a $2.45MM cap hit, leaving the Knicks about $820K below the second apron. In that scenario, they wouldn’t be able to sign a 15th man until well into the regular season if they continue to view the second apron as a de facto hard cap.
New York still has an unsigned draft pick in No. 47 overall selection Tyler Nickel. If the team signs him to a rookie minimum deal, his cap hit would be $1.36MM. I’d be a little surprised if that happens, but it’s still an option.
Nickel is a candidate for a two-way contract as well, with conflicting reports on whether he plans to sign his first NBA deal or potentially head back to college for a fifth NCAA season after he was recently granted — at least temporarily — another year of eligibility. If the former Vanderbilt sharpshooter does return to college, he’d essentially be a domestic draft-and-stash prospect.
It’s worth noting that the Knicks are the only team in the league with all three of their two-way spots available. Adding a young big man or two on a two-way deal is another way the Knicks could bolster their frontcourt depth.
We want to know what you think. How will the Knicks fill their back-end roster spots? Do you have any free agent targets you’d like to see them sign? And how will New York fill its three two-way spots? Head to the comment section to weigh in.