The New York Knicks‘ NBA championship high was quickly interrupted when owner James Dolan went on WFAN to tell the world that the team would not be willing to go into the second apron to retain their championship team.
It was a gut punch for fans, who were hoping to run back the team’s best roster in 53 years. After all, the only thing better than one NBA Finals victory is two of them.
Dolan seems uninterested in spending the extra cash to ensure it happens.
“There’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron. I’ll write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron,” Dolan told radio host Craig Carton.
Despite the penny pinching, it seems like there may be a way for the Knicks to keep at least one of their marquee free agents.
Knicks May Be Able to Retain One of Mitchell Robinson or Landry Shamet
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the New York Knicks may be able to retain one of Mitchell Robinson or Landry Shamet, but not both.
Both Robinson and Shamet played key roles off the bench throughout New York’s championship run, but are unrestricted free agents.
Even in the wake of re-signing Mohamed Diawara and Jose Alvarado to new contracts, the Knicks may have enough room to bring back one of those key contributors, Begley wrote in a recent mailbag.
“This is a question that will hang over this offseason until it’s explained to the fan base,” the SNY insider answered to a question about Dolan’s inability to go into the second apron.
“Every title team loses players. But this situation is different because the Knicks can spend the money to retain Robinson and Landry Shamet. By staying under the second apron, they will have to choose one or the other.”
In the wake of the Alvarado re-signing, Begley revealed the Knicks will have to move more salary to make “competitive offers” to Robinson and Shamet.
“Alvarado signing is not going to prevent the Knicks from going after their other free agents… but Knicks are probably going to have to move some salaries still to make competitive offers to Shamet or Robinson and to remain under the second apron.”
Should the Knicks Want to Keep Mitchell Robinson or Landry Shamet?
It seems like the New York Knicks may have the opportunity to retain one of their fan-favorite bench players if they move some salary around, but which one should they want to keep?
Both Robinson and Shamet have completely different skill sets, and one archetype may be a bit harder to find than another.
Shamet is an elite three-point shooter and proved to be a capable defender throughout the 2025-26 season, but the Knicks have an up-and-coming wing in Diawara who may be able to fill that role.
Robinson, on the other hand, is one of the most prolific offensive rebounders in the NBA and one of the best rim protectors in basketball.
He may be a bit more expensive than Shamet, but it’s because he’s harder to replace. If the Knicks can pull it off, retaining Robinson should be the priority.
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