Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2026 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the New York Knicks.

Free agent signings

Landry Shamet: Four years, $23,978,467. Third year partially guaranteed ($1,581,241). Fourth-year player option ($1,690,292 partial guarantee). Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
Jose Alvarado: Three years, $14,384,484. Third year partially guaranteed ($2,765,516). Re-signed using Bird rights.
Mohamed Diawara: Four years, $11,279,212. Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
Jordan Clarkson: One year, minimum salary. Fully guaranteed. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
Andre Drummond: One year, minimum salary. Fully guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

Acquired the draft rights to Tyler Nickel (No. 47 pick), the Suns’ 2029 second-round pick, the Sixers’ 2030 second-round pick, the Mavericks’ 2032 second-round pick, the Suns’ 2033 second-round pick, the draft rights to Louis Labeyrie (from Lakers), the draft rights to Chinemelu Elonu (from Lakers), the draft rights to Melvin Ajinca (from Mavericks), and cash ($3MM from Lakers; $2MM from Suns) from the Suns, Mavericks, and Lakers in a four-team trade in exchange for the draft rights to Cameron Carr (No. 24 pick; to Lakers).
Acquired the draft rights to Jack Kayil (No. 39 pick), the draft rights to Ugonna Onyenso (No. 53 pick), the draft rights to Mojave King, and the Kings’ 2029 second-round pick from the Rockets in exchange for the draft rights to Bruce Thornton (No. 31 pick) and the draft rights to Nick Martinelli (No. 55 pick).
Acquired cash ($2.5MM) from the Pistons in exchange for the draft rights to Ugonna Onyenso (No. 53 pick).

Draft picks

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other roster moves

Signed restricted free agent Moussa Cisse to a two-year, minimum-salary offer sheet using the minimum salary exception; matched by Mavericks.

Salary cap situation

Note: Figures are rounded to one decimal place.

Operating over the first apron ($209MM) and below the second tax apron ($221.7MM).
No hard cap.
Team salary: $218.4MM (tax/apron).
Above luxury tax line by $18MM; above first apron by $9.4MM; below second apron by $3.3MM.
Taxpayer mid-level exception ($6.1MM) available.
Two traded player exceptions frozen/unavailable (largest worth $899K).

The offseason so far

Shortly after winning their first NBA championship in 53 years, owner James Dolan said the Knicks had no intention of surpassing the second tax apron in 2026/27 despite facing no cap-related restrictions that would have prevented them from re-signing all of their own free agents if they wanted to.

Three-plus months later, Dolan’s edict remains in place.

New York’s first cost-cutting moves came during June’s draft, when the front office moved down multiples times after initially starting with the 24th overall pick (Cameron Carr). The Knicks received No. 47 pick Tyler Nickel, four future second-rounders, and $5MM in cash in what was completed as one four-team trade.

The team’s second and third offseason trades also occurred during the draft, having dealt the 31st (Bruce Thornton) and 55th (Nick Martinelli) selections to Houston for the 39th (Jack Kayil) and 53rd (Ugonna Onyenso) picks and a future second-rounder. In a separate deal, New York traded Onyenso to Detroit for $2.5MM in cash.

German guard Kayil showed promise during Summer League action and made it clear his preference was to play in the NBA as soon as possible. But a buyout clause in his previous contract reportedly made that difficult, and he ended up signing a five-year deal with ALBA Berlin, which means he’ll be a draft-and-stash prospect for the upcoming season.

The Knicks entered free agency knowing they would have their entire starting lineup still under contract in 2026/27. But they also had 10 reserves — Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson, Mohamed Diawara, Ariel Hukporti, Jeremy Sochan, Trey Jemison, Dillon Jones and Kevin McCullar Jr. — set to hit the open market.

Alvarado (three years, $14.4MM) and Shamet (four years, $24MM) were willing to accept team-friendly contracts to try and defend New York’s title, with fellow veteran guard Clarkson returning on a minimum-salary deal. The Knicks were also able to re-sign restricted free agent Diawara to a four-year, $11.3MM deal using his Non-Bird rights.

However, while Robinson was said to be “very open” to re-signing with the Knicks, they clearly weren’t willing to pay him if it meant going over the second apron. The team’s longest-tenured player ended up signing a three-year, $47.4MM deal with division rival Boston after spending his first eight seasons in New York.

Trying to place Robinson’s elite offensive rebounding, screen-setting and versatile defense with little flexibility to sign external free agents was a tall order for the front office. The Knicks signed veteran center Andre Drummond to a one-year, minimum-salary contract to try and replicate some of Robinson’s production.

Still, the Knicks are clearly aware they need more help up front, since they also lost third-string center Hukporti to Philadelphia and two-way big man Trey Jemison ended up signing a two-way deal with Toronto. Sochan (non-guaranteed deal with Portland) also departed this summer, while Jones and McCullar remain unrestricted free agents.

The Knicks were linked to several young centers who are on team-friendly contracts throughout the summer, including Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic of the Pelicans, as well as Hornets center Moussa Diabate. New York tried to pry Moussa Cisse away from Dallas, having signed the restricted free agent center a two-year, minimum-salary offer sheet, but the Mavericks matched that deal.

Up next

The reigning champions have 13 players on guaranteed standard contracts and are approximately $3.3MM below the second apron. A veteran’s minimum deal would carry a $2.45MM cap hit, so the Knicks are likely to enter the season with 14 players under contract instead of being at the 15-man limit.

New York still has an unsigned draft pick in former Vanderbilt sharpshooter Nickel. If the team signs him to a rookie minimum deal, his cap hit would be $1.36MM. I’d be a little surprised if that happens, but it’s still an option.

Nickel is a candidate for a two-way contract as well, with conflicting reports on whether he plans to sign his first NBA deal or potentially head back to college for a fifth NCAA season after he was recently granted — at least temporarily — another year of eligibility. If the 6’7″ wings does return to college, he’d essentially be a domestic draft-and-stash prospect.

The Knicks are the only team in the league with all three of their two-way spots available. In addition to bringing in veterans to compete for the third-string center spot in training camp, adding a young big man or two on a two-way deal is another way the Knicks could bolster their frontcourt depth.

Karl-Anthony Towns is the Knicks’ main extension candidate this offseason, as the six-time All-Star could be a free agent in 2027 if he declines his $61MM player option for 2027/28. Multiple reporters have indicated that they expect the team to offer Towns an extension, though a max deal is considered unlikely to be on the table.

Miles McBride (expiring $4MM contract) and Josh Hart are extension-eligible as well. McBride could prioritize maximizing his earnings after signing a team-friendly extension a few years ago, and with the payroll continuing to be expensive in future seasons, an extension doesn’t appear particularly likely. There’s no real pressing need to extend Hart right now, since the Knicks hold a $22.4MM team option on his contract for 2027/28, but it’s possible he may be open to a longer-term agreement.

In terms of trade candidates, McBride, Pacome Dadiet ($3MM) and Tyler Kolek ($2.3MM) are players to watch. French wing Dadiet hasn’t shown much through two seasons and the Knicks would gain a little financial flexibility if they can shed his salary without taking back anything in return. I’d only expect the Knicks to entertain moving McBride if they can find a solid young center or forward on a cost-controlled contract.

While the Knicks have been pretty active this summer and were able to bring back a handful of their key reserves, their offseason still feels incomplete to a certain extent because they lack a third-string center and essentially only have Diawara at forward off the bench. We’ll have to wait and see how they decide to fill their final standard spots and three two-way slots.

Luke Adams contributed to this article.