The Knicks Cannot Avoid the Second Apron Yet - 2026 Offseason Preview
On the Knicks upcoming offseason, the free agency of Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet, extension candidates, and how they can navigate the second apron over the next few seasons.
After a 53-year drought, roughly 20 years of suffering, and a seven-year plan, the Knicks are finally champions again. It was the culmination of dozens of transactional wins, from identifying core starters to finding marginal rotation players and draft picks with value. They did it without drafting a single starter, which makes this one of the greatest middle builds of all time.
Every player they have now can be traced back to previous moves. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, two of the best value signings of the decade, were parlayed into Karl-Anthony Towns. RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, two starting-level players they drafted, had enough value to be consolidated into OG Anunoby. Their advanced scouting also extended to identifying strong fits like Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jose Alvarado, to name a few.
Now the Knicks have the harder challenge of keeping this team together as the roster gets more expensive. They have already been taxpayers over the last few seasons, but they are now staring at one of the most expensive rosters in the league if they mostly run it back. They used an elite cap strategy to build this team. Now they need to bring that same energy to preserving it while navigating the second apron.
2026 Offseason Previews
Atlanta Hawks | Boston Celtics | Brooklyn Nets | Charlotte Hornets | Chicago Bulls | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dallas Mavericks | Denver Nuggets | Detroit Pistons | Golden State Warriors | Houston Rockets | Indiana Pacers | Los Angeles Clippers | Los Angeles Lakers
2026 Contract Projections
Current Extension Eligible Players Part 1 | Current Extension Eligible Players Part 2 | Current Extension Eligible Players Part 3 | Current Extension Eligible Players Part 4 | Standout Minimum Players | Free Agents and Pending Options Part 1 | Free Agents and Pending Options Part 2
Salary cap and apron situation
The Knicks are entering the season with 10 players on the roster, totaling $209 million in salary. That puts them above the luxury tax line, at the first apron, and roughly $13 million below the second apron. They are already dealing with restrictions that include not being able to take back more salary in a trade than they send out, not being able to acquire a free agent via sign-and-trade, and only having access to the smaller $6 million taxpayer mid-level exception.
Despite owner James Dolan’s recent comments, don’t expect the Knicks to stay under the second apron. They could technically do it by filling out the rest of the roster with minimum signings. But that would likely mean not bringing back Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, and potentially Jose Alvarado if he declines his player option.
There are parts of the second apron that would create problems for the Knicks, but most of the harshest non-financial consequences would not affect them this season.
