New York Knicks

Jalen Brunson famously signed a four-year, $156 million extension with the New York Knicks this summer, leaving $113 million on the table to offer the team salary flexibility moving forward.

It wasn't the sort of move that everyone would have recommended, including Carmelo Anthony.

"I'm not doing it," he said on Podcast P regarding the deal Brunson took. "... He's making something [on the back end]. He should be making something, $113 million, to make that up on the back end is crazy. I don't know the logic and the thinking behind why he did it. There has to be a reason, something very specific."

"It's a lose-lose situation," Anthony added. "If you leave money on the table, people got something to say. If you take the contract, people got something to say. So at the end of the day, it's do what's best for you. I think JB knows his situation. 'I'll take a discount to get my man, my brother on the team.' He's working with the Knicks. It's a situation they're going to figure out. He's got more coming."

Yes, he does. Had he waited a summer, Brunson would have been eligible for a five-year, $269 million deal. Doing the discounted extension now aided the Knicks in extending OG Anunoby and trading for Mikal Bridges (who will soon require an extension of his own) giving them wiggle room to construct a winning roster in the seasons to come.

It wasn't purely altruistic, either. An incredibly massive payday looms on the horizon:

So Brunson took the gamble on taking less money then he could in the short term to help the Knicks keep a contender in place, with the belief that an enormous contract would come down the line. The risk, of course, is injuries or declining play making the Knicks less incentivized to give him that deal when that time comes.

Brunson did what he felt was best for his career. Anthony—and likely many other players—probably would have opted for the safer option and the max deal next summer.

Tom Thibodeau isn't going anywhere.

The New York Knicks head coach has reportedly agreed to a three-year contract extension to remain with the franchise through the 2027-28 season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

SNY's Ian Begley reported Thibodeau's new contract "is in line with the current market for head coaches" which has seen salaries regularly hit eight figures annually.

The news comes as little surprise after Marc Stein reported on June 26 that Thibodeau was expected to receive a contract extension from New York "in the near future."

Thibodeau was hired by the Knicks ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, replacing Mike Miller, who was named interim bench boss after the franchise fired David Fizdale.

The Knicks were hoping Thibodeau could work his magic in New York after previously leading the Chicago Bulls to the postseason in each of his five seasons with the franchise from 2010 to 2015 and leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to the playoffs in 2018, their first postseason appearance since 2004.

During his first season at the helm, the Knicks finished fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-31 record, and Thibodeau won the Coach of the Year award. However, the team fell to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, winning just one game in that series.

In 2021-22, the Knicks played far worse, finishing 11th in the East with a 37-45 record, missing the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons.

The 2023-24 campaign was Thibodeau's best in New York as the Knicks finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 50-32 record. They went on to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs but fell to the Indiana Pacers in the second round amid injuries to stars such as Brunson and Julius Randle.

The Knicks haven't been true NBA Finals contenders since the '90s, when they reached the championship round twice. Additionally, the team hasn't won an NBA title since 1973, when it defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

But with Thibodeau locked up and the star duo of Brunson and Mikal Bridges now leading the charge alongside Randle, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and a strong supporting cast, it may finally be the Knicks' time to return to title contention.

Mikal Bridges switched teams this offseason after the New York Knicks pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire him, sending multiple first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets.

On Sunday, he announced that he'll also be switching numbers, going from the No. 1 to the No. 25 in the Big Apple:

In total, the Knicks gave up Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakite, four unprotected firsts (2025, 2027, 2029, 2031), a top-four protected first-rounder in 2025 (via the Milwaukee Bucks), an unprotected first-round pick swap in 2028 and a 2025 fifth-rounder for Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet and a 2026 second-round selection.

It was a massive haul for Bridges, who has never been selected to an All-Star team in his career.

Granted, Bridges had a career year in the 2022-23 campaign for the Nets, averaging 26.1 points per game across 27 contests about being acquired in the deal that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix. But that was something of an outlier—he's never averaged more than 20.1 points per game across a full season, including his 19.6 points per game last year.

Still, the Knicks have fantastic wing options now, with Bridges and OG Anunoby pairing in the starting lineup and depth options like Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo behind them.

There are questions about whether Jalen Brunson can truly be the No. 1 option on a title contender, however. Or whether the team can overcome the potential spacing issues of a Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle frontcourt.

There's no doubt that the Knicks will be a terror defensively. Bridges and Anunoby alone will guarantee as much, and head coach Tom Thibodeau will demand it. And Bridges will slot in as a solid second option on offense.

But do the Knicks have the offensive firepower to compete with other top contenders in the East like the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers or the Bucks?

The answer to that question will likely determine their fate in the 2024-25 campaign.

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela has reportedly drawn interest from the New York Knicks amid links to the Los Angeles Lakers, per SNY's Ian Begley.

"Clint Capela, Atlanta, was one big that the Knicks checked in on," Begley reported. "I don't know how far talks went. I don't know if they're active at this very moment. But they did check in on Capela."

Begley also noted that Mitchell Robinson would likely be involved in a package for Capela.

The Knicks are looking to replace big man Isaiah Hartenstein, who departed in free agency for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Capela could be a solid fill-in.

The veteran averaged 11.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game last season, also adding 1.5 blocks per game. While Capela's numbers have decreased slightly over the past few seasons, he still brings a lot to the table in terms of his presence in the paint, and that's all New York really needs from a big man.

As the Knicks potentially craft up a deal for Capela, he's already reportedly "on the trade market" for Atlanta ahead of the start of the 2024-25 season. In return, the Hawks could land a talented player in Robinson or some future draft picks if they decide to move toward a rebuild.

Robinson alone likely wouldn't be enough for Atlanta to send Capela to the Knicks, so New York might have to prepare a somewhat sizeable offer.

Capela could be the missing piece for the Knicks after they came up short of competing for a championship last season. New York is certainly on its way to being a Finals contender following a successful year, but making a few moves before the start of the seasons could be beneficial.

Jalen Brunson may be the first player of the second-apron era to take a massive pay cut, but he may not be the last.

Tim Bontemps of ESPN reported some NBA executives believe stars taking pay cuts could become the norm as salaries rise during the new $76 million television deal.

The new deal, which is yet to be formally announced, will begin with the 2025-26 season. The new CBA prevents a massive balloon cap spike, limiting raises to 10 percent per year, but it's estimated max player contracts could touch $100 million per season by 2032-33.

Brunson signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension with the Knicks last week. The deal is worth $113 million less than what Brunson could have made if he waited until next summer to sign for his full five-year max.

The amount of money Brunson ultimately gave up won't be determined for a few years. His extension ends right as he hits the 10 years of service mark, which will entitle him to a max salary of 35 percent of the cap. If Brunson signs for the full max in 2028-29, he'll wind up giving back around $37 million in total.

That's certainly nothing to sneeze at and gives the Knicks increased flexibility to stay under the second apron moving forward. The $11-13 million per season Brunson is giving up from 2025-26 through 2027-28 could allow the Knicks to maintain their core without dipping into the prohibitive second tax apron.

Brunson's case is certainly a unique one in all facets. His father, Rick, is an assistant coach on the Knicks' staff. His agent, Sam Rose, is the son of Knicks president Leon Rose. It is possible we're seeing a wholly unique situation here.

That said, as salaries rise to previously unheard of levels, players may be more comfortable taking $85 million per season rather than $100 million to keep their team at a championship level.

Isaiah Hartenstein was willing to take a below-market contract from the New York Knicks until the Oklahoma City Thunder provided him with not only a massive payday but also the chance to contend for a title.

"I was going to make sure I was set for the rest of my life," he said to the New York Post's Stefan Bondy. "But then at the same time, if it wasn't a team like OKC, I would've taken a pay cut because I loved it (in New York). But I now have an opportunity to make that money, make that pay raise, and still compete. I think that was the main factor."

The Thunder successfully lured in Hartenstein with a three-year, $87 million deal.

That's well above the most the Knicks could've provided to the veteran center, both in terms of average salary and total payout. Thanks to the collective bargaining agreement, New York's max offer would've been $72.5 million over four years.

Players leaving money on the table for competitive reasons is nothing new. The NBA might be entering a slightly different era thanks to the punitive CBA and the dreaded second apron of the luxury tax, though.

Jalen Brunson just signed an extension with the Knicks that's substantially below what he was in line to make if he had waited and collected every penny to which he was entitled.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported Monday that Mikal Bridges, whom New York acquired this offseason, "is likely to follow Brunson's lead and sign a team-friendly deal of his own when it's his turn to negotiate an extension."

Looking even further ahead, the skyrocketing revenues in the NBA could lead stars feeling more comfortable taking less than the max. With the way things are headed, a player could turn down upwards of $20 million annually and still earn $50-plus million.

Hartenstein drew a distinction between himself and Brunson, though, citing their career earnings before getting their new contracts. Hartenstein had made $22.7 million in the NBA so far and that's less than Brunson collected from 2023-24 alone.

"He's kind of in a different situation than I'm in. Already made $100 million (in his career). He's the star player, knows he probably won't ever get traded. So it's a different situation," Hartenstein said to Bondy.

"But that also shows what kind of a leader he is to make those sacrifices. I don't think a lot of people are making those sacrifices. I think our situations are a little bit different but I have a lot of respect for him as a player and a human being for doing that."

Still, the comments point to what could be a much different landscape for the Knicks.

For years, they overpaid for free agents and struggled to attract big names despite having all of the advantages the Big Apple provided. Now, the franchise is a major destination once again.

New York Knicks owner James Dolan sent a letter to the NBA Board of Governors voicing his criticisms of the league's revenue-sharing policies as part of the new $74.6B media rights deal, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

In the letter, Dolan, who has criticized the league's revenue-sharing policies in the past, said the league has shifted towards "an NFL model" and blasted the league for its effort to "take down the successful franchises."

"The NBA has made the move to an NFL model -- deemphasizing and depowering the local market," Dolan wrote in the letter. "Soon, your only revenue concern will be the sale of tickets and what color next year's jersey will be. Don't worry, because due to revenue pooling, you are guaranteed to be neither a success nor a failure.

"Of course, to get there, the league must take down the successful franchises and redistribute to the less successful. This new media deal goes a long way to accomplishing that goal."

Also in the letter, Dolan criticized what he called the league's efforts to retain $6 billion in NBA-related fees without "sufficient justification... nor transparency into how it arrived at the sum, how these fees will be allocated or to what extent the league will utilize this purported revenue growth to incur new and incremental costs and further expand the league's ever growing expense level..."

He went on to express that the 42 million homes that have moved away from traditional paid television over the past eight years are a byproduct of media deals like the NBA's, which will integrate streaming services into coverage of games. It's worth noting that the Knicks' MSG Network has suffered a 45 percent decline over an eight-year period, per Wojnarowski.

Dolan said the new media deal will hurt teams who rely on revenue from local rights fees and said the new national deal "risks rendering the entire [Regional Sports Networks] unviable."

"Member teams depend on revenue received from local rights fees and on increased fan engagement through high quality broadcasts that provide dedicated and tailored coverage for local audiences," Dolan wrote. "Yet the proposal threatens to completely eliminate (Regional Sports Networks) without a comparable replacement offered by the league and no articulated plans to address the production and distribution vacuum that the league will inevitably create in its quest to further disrupt the RSN industry...."

Dolan's letter of concern comes days after the league reportedly agreed to terms on a new $76 billion media rights deal, which will go into effect ahead of the 2025-26 season. The deal sets NBA records for both length and total value.

The New York Knicks have made their first signing since Jalen Brunson took a historic pay cut in his recent extension.

Veteran guard Cameron Payne joined the Knicks on a one-year, $3.1 million deal, per The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania.

Payne spent the first half of the 2023-24 season with the Milwaukee Bucks before he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers at the deadline.

Payne put up 7.4 points, 2.6 assists and 1.5 rebounds off the bench last season, continuing what has been a solid career as a role player. The ninth-year player shot an efficient 39 percent from deep last year, and he'll look to bring his reliable shooting to New York as the team pursues a title.

Brunson, who is coming off an MVP-caliber season, signed a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension Monday, which will give him $113 million less guaranteed than he would have been eligible to sign next year. The pay cut gives the Knicks much more flexibility to put a solid supporting cast around him, and they made their first step toward that on Monday by adding Payne.

After Brunson's unselfish move, it seems other members of the Knicks could follow his direction. NBA insider Marc Stein reported Monday that newly acquired swingman Mikal Bridges is expected to "follow Brunson's lead" when he signs an extension.

New York is setting itself up to be a contender for the foreseeable future after back-to-back conference semifinal appearances. The Knicks' 2024 playoff run was especially impressive considering the slew of players injured, and it's fair to say a healthy team will be one to watch for to come out of the East this season.