The New York Knicks walked their roster into training camp with a championship ring on the way and an unfinished payroll question hanging over the locker room. On Friday, the franchise told its extension-eligible players that negotiations are paused until later in the 2026-27 season.
The news, first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, affects four players: starters Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns, sixth man Miles McBride and reserve guard Tyler Kolek. Jalen Brunson is not among them. He becomes extension-eligible next summer.
Hart spoke after practice on Saturday and sounded relaxed about being the first starter from the title team to have his talks put on ice.
“Everything is gonna work out, so I’m not really too stressed over it,” he told reporters, per Yahoo Sports.
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He conceded the timing was not what he wanted.
“You always want to get it done, kind of as soon as possible, obviously, because you don’t want that trickling into the season.”
The Knicks framed the pause as a competitive decision rather than a financial one. The club’s statement, released Friday, pointed to the start of the regular season on October 20.
“As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of,” the team said. “As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season.”
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Brunson’s message to the locker room
Brunson, the Knicks captain and the only member of the core already locked up long-term, used his media availability to tell teammates to park the issue.
“He’s going to be a professional. Not just him, everybody. Everyone’s going to be professional and continue to do their jobs,” Brunson said, according to Yardbarker.
He widened the point to the whole season.
“No matter what the situation is, things are going to happen. There’s always going to be a rollercoaster of a season. Ups and downs emotionally or whatever. But no matter what, when we’re out there on the court, we’re all going to have each other’s back regardless.”
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The apron math behind the freeze
The pause lands against the backdrop of the NBA’s second luxury-tax apron, the hard spending ceiling that caps roster-building for teams willing to break it. Owner James Dolan has expressed reluctance to operate above that line.
The numbers explain the hesitation. Towns is eligible for a four-year maximum extension of around $276 million, while Hart could sign a four-year deal worth up to $132 million, reports Yardbarker. Signing both to the top of their range would push New York deep into apron territory the night it unveils its championship banner.
The Knicks tip off their title defense on Tuesday, October 20 against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden, with the 2025-26 championship banner, the franchise’s first since 1973, due to be raised before the opening tip.
