New York is still riding high off a championship that ended 53 years wait. The parade is set, the trophy is home, but the front office cannot afford to relax. Roster decisions are already piling up before the confetti even settles.
Chief among those decisions is what to do about Giannis Antetokounmpo. His name has followed the Knicks for two years now, and this summer brings it back around again, right as Milwaukee weighs its next move.
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Picture the scene in Milwaukee. The Bucks front office sat back, hoping New York would somehow blow a commanding Finals lead and come crawling back for Giannis. That moment never came.
Instead, the Knicks did what they have done all postseason. They fought through five games, closed it out on the road, and walked away champions. No collapse, no leverage handed to Milwaukee, nothing forcing New York’s hand.
So why does Giannis keep coming up? Because winning a championship does not erase roster questions, it just puts them on hold while the confetti falls and the parade gets planned. And the biggest of those questions is scoring depth beyond Brunson.
That’s where Towns comes in. He was brought in to give Brunson a second scorer who could take pressure off him on tough nights. On the boards, he delivered all season long.
Scoring told a different story though. Through this postseason, Anunoby actually outscored Towns in most games, which was not exactly the plan when New York made that trade. That gap is worth sitting with.
And that is exactly why the Giannis rumors refuse to die. If Towns is not the second scorer the Knicks hoped for, he becomes the most logical piece to send out for someone who clearly is.
Even so, nothing is close. Milwaukee has not opened bidding to outside teams yet, and the Knicks just won a title with this exact group. The fit looks great on paper, but it stays a longshot for now.
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While the Giannis talk simmers, the more pressing work is closer to home. Mitchell Robinson is the top free agency priority. Most signs point to a return, but it will push the team over the first apron and limit how they can structure other moves.
That apron line matters more than it sounds. The Knicks would lose the ability to aggregate salary in trades and could not use sign and trades for outside free agents. Spotrac has them roughly three million under that line before any new Robinson deal.
Landry Shamet faces the toughest spot of anyone. He shot 47.5 percent from three in the playoffs on a near minimum deal, and shooting like that rarely stays affordable for long. Another team will likely offer more than New York can match.
Losing Shamet would sting more than people realize. He was the kind of low cost role player that title teams need, and finding that production again on a similar budget will not be easy for Rose and his staff.
Jordan Clarkson could return too, but the same apron math applies. He fell out of the rotation for stretches this season, and adding him to Robinson and Shamet’s deals only tightens the squeeze, part of why the draft matters so much.
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Expect more focus on the young players already in house. Mohamed Diawara earned real minutes as a rookie and is now a restricted free agent, while Tyler Kolek gives the Knicks another option to develop behind Brunson going forward.
New York holds three picks this year, their own first rounder at 24, plus second round picks at 31 and 55. That gives Leon Rose real chances to add young talent across the roster.
Center looks like the priority. Ariel Hukporti is a restricted free agent, and even if he stays, the Knicks still need more depth behind Towns and Robinson at that spot.
That twenty four pick is the obvious spot to address it. Names like UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. or St. John’s big man Zuby Ejiofor have come up as fits, either giving New York a younger option in the rotation.
From there, expect the focus to shift toward wings and guards with the 31 and 55 picks. Adding shooting and ball handling on cheap deals would help soften the loss of Shamet or Clarkson.
That matters more than usual given the apron situation. Rookie scale salaries barely move the needle against the cap, so hitting on even one of these picks could ease the squeeze created by re-signing Robinson or Shamet.
For now, the Knicks core stays put. Giannis talk has cooled, free agency centers on keeping Robinson and Shamet, the draft brings fresh depth at center and on the wing, and the kids get a real look. Any bigger swing likely waits for next summer.
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