New York Knicks owner James Dolan’s offseason mandate left no room for interpretation.
“There’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do,” the Knicks owner said during an appearance on WFAN before free agency opened. “One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron.”
President of basketball operations Leon Rose and the Knicks’ front office listened. Then they found a way to preserve much of a championship bench without approaching the threshold Dolan had declared off-limits.
After Jordan Clarkson agreed to return on a one-year veteran minimum contract, ESPN salary cap expert Bobby Marks highlighted the breadth of New York’s work.
“New York will avoid the second apron this season,” Marks wrote on X. “Total cap charge of Shamet, Clarkson, Diawara, Alvarado, Drummond this season: $17.5M.”
That is five players expected to fill important roles in the Knicks’ title defense for only about $2.5 million more than Mitchell Robinson will earn during the first season of his three-year, $47.4 million contract with the Boston Celtics.
Knicks Rebuilt Their Bench for the Price of Mitchell Robinson
Robinson’s departure created an obvious hole behind Karl-Anthony Towns. Rather than devote similar money to one replacement, New York spread its resources across an entire group.
Andre Drummond signed a one-year, $3.87 million veteran minimum contract and is positioned to become the primary backup center. His deal carries a cap charge of about $2.44 million.
Clarkson signed under the same minimum structure, giving the Knicks an established scorer whose cap hit also lands near $2.4 million. Because he re-signed on a one-year deal, Clarkson has veto rights over any trade. Both he and Drummond cannot be traded until Dec. 15.
Landry Shamet returned on a four-year, $23.97 million contract that includes $14.5 million guaranteed. The final two seasons are only partially guaranteed, and the deal contains a player option for 2029-30.
Jose Alvarado declined his player option before signing a fully guaranteed three-year, $14.38 million contract, an average of less than $4.8 million annually.
Mohamed Diawara’s four-year, $11.27 million deal is guaranteed for two seasons, with a non-guaranteed third year and a team option in the fourth.
The result is a bench built around shooting, ball pressure, scoring, rebounding, experience and youth — all for a combined cap charge barely larger than Robinson’s new salary in Boston.
(Note: all contract details are based on Spotrac)
Leon Rose Preserves Flexibility Below Second Apron
The Knicks’ work has drawn praise for more than its affordability.
Marks recently joked on The Zach Lowe Show about the “voodoo power” Rose, cap strategist Brock Aller and the rest of New York’s front office appear to wield in negotiations.
The contracts explain why.
Partial guarantees, options and minimum-salary cap rules allowed the Knicks to retain useful players without sacrificing control over future seasons. Those details matter under a collective bargaining agreement that sharply restricts teams operating above the second apron.
New York did not merely comply with Dolan’s directive. It maintained a credible second unit while keeping room for another move.
Knicks Still Have Space for Third Center
Salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron wrote after Clarkson’s agreement that the Knicks remained approximately $3.3 million below the second apron with 13 players under contract and room for another minimum signing.
That final spot is expected to go to a third-string center, providing insurance behind Towns and Drummond.
Jonas Valančiūnas has been heavily linked to New York, although the 34-year-old Lithuanian center is also weighing a two-year offer to return home and continue his career in Europe.
Whether the Knicks land Valančiūnas or another veteran big man, they have positioned themselves to complete their frontcourt without undoing the financial maneuvering that defined their offseason.
Rose and Aller did not replace Robinson with one player. They used roughly the same amount of cap space to secure five contributors, stay below the second apron and preserve enough room to add one more center before training camp.
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