NBA teams ‘salivating’ at the prospect of signing Knicks player after James Dolan’s tax decision
· Yahoo Sports
The New York Knicks ended a 53-year wait for a title this month, but the roster that delivered it looks set for a massive shakeup this summer.
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Owner James Dolan has made clear he will not push the franchise into the NBA’s second apron, a hard spending line set at $222 million for next season. That stance leaves president Leon Rose with little room to keep the supporting cast together.
Landry Shamet sits right in the middle of the issue. One of New York’s most dependable rotation players during the championship run, he is expected to reach unrestricted free agency — and rival front offices are already circling.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhy James Dolan’s tax stance puts Landry Shamet in play
Dolan’s position is straightforward. He has told the front office he will sign off on a sizable payroll but not one that crosses the second apron, leaving Rose to build the team under that ceiling.
With only a handful of players locked in, New York has roughly $17 million of space beneath the threshold — nowhere near enough to re-sign everyone who mattered in June.
Shamet is the man most likely to pay the price.
Despite being valued by head coach Mike Brown and the front office, he is no certainty to return, and according to HoopsHype, executives around the league are “salivating” at the chance to pry him away.
Mitchell Robinson could leave alongside Landry Shamet
Shamet is not the only key piece in danger. Center Mitchell Robinson is expected to attract strong interest in free agency, with projections putting his next deal in the $10 to $15 million range.
That figure alone would swallow New York’s remaining cap space, which is why Robinson is also seen as unlikely to stay if the apron limit holds. The front office, frustrated by the restrictions, reportedly wants Dolan to do a U-turn, and spend his way toward a repeat.
History is not on their side. No team has defended an NBA title since the Golden State Warriors went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018, nearly a decade ago.
If the Knicks want to buck that trend, they have to get this offseason right. The question is whether losing both Shamet and Robinson sounds like the recipe for doing so. I’m not so sure.
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