The New York Knicks were put into a tough place this offseason by owner James Dolan, after he went on the radio and forbade the front office from exceeding the second apron.
“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,” Dolan told WFAN radio host Craig Carton.
Despite the constraints, Leon Rose and company have still had a productive offseason. They’ve retained key rotation players, and thus far have only lost longtime big man Mitchell Robinson.
Rose had the deck stacked against him entering free agency, and he still managed to not only re-sign some fan favorites, but do it in a way that allows his team to maintain financial flexibility.
Bobby Marks Raves About Knicks Front Office
To start free agency, the New York Knicks were able to bring back forward Mohamed Diawara, backup point guard Jose Alvarado, and wing Landry Shamet on relatively team-friendly deals.
Diawara signed a four-year, $11.2 million pact, Alvarado opted out of his old deal to sign a three-year, $14.58 million contract, and Shamet, who was expected to cash in after two years on the veterans’ minimum, agreed to terms on a four-year, $24 million deal.
ESPN’s front office expert Bobby Marks couldn’t believe the kind of deals the Knicks got, and called it “voodoo power” on a recent episode of The Zach Lowe Show.
“I don’t know what type of voodoo power Leon Rose and Brock Aller and the group there does with some of their players – and probably it’s just that they love playing in New York and that there’s a comfort level and that the teammates really love each other but the three guys (Alvarado, Diawara and Shamet)…they signed three guys for, I don’t know, $13 million,” Marks told Zach Lowe.
“And I’m like, well, ‘wait a minute, the apron is going to bite them.’ As you can see, there is a trend here with the Knicks as far as the back end of some of these contracts, either partial or non-guaranteed.”
This offseason so far has truly been a testament to how prepared Rose’s front office was when it came to their financial situation, and their intent to try and repeat for an NBA championship.
Knicks Got Below-Market Deals for Their Free Agents
When you take a step back and compare some of the contracts that the New York Knicks handed out to other free agent deals signed around the association this offseason, it becomes even more impressive.
Take Shamet’s deal, for example. A veteran who shot 45.3% from three-point range throughout the 2026 playoffs likely should’ve cashed in on a lucrative deal on the open market.
San Antonio Spurs specialist Julian Champagnie shot 39.6% from deep during the Spurs’ playoff run and inked a three-year, $45 million contract.
Now, Shamet is slightly older, but he certainly could’ve found a similar deal from a contender looking for more shooting.
Marks pointed out that he expected some team out there to sign Diawara to an offer sheet that would price the Knicks out; instead, he opted to stay and develop with the team that drafted him.
Rose and company clearly know what they’re doing, and it’s good to know the Knicks are in good hands, especially after their first championship in 53 years.
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