Knicks News and Rumor Roundup

It looks like Guerschon Yabusele has already notched his first assist as a Knick... which will allow New York to sign any available free agent on the open market.

I hope everyone had a fabulous 4th of July weekend!

Plenty of news nuggets to digest - let's dig in…

🏀 It looks like Guerschon Yabusele has already notched his first assist as a Knick.

Fred Katz of The Athletic confirmed last night that Yabusele has agreed to a contract that will pay him a bit less than the full taxpayer mid-level exception, which is a boon to New York as it looks to round out its roster.

The full TPMLE for the 2025-26 season is $5,685,000. Per Katz, Yabusele's deal will pay him $5.5 million. The contract includes a player option for 2026-27 worth $5.775 million (which is the most the Knicks could offer for the second season, as the CBA prohibits raises greater than 5% on MLEs).

As a reminder, New York is hard-capped at the second apron ($207.8 million) next season. If Yabusele demanded the full TPMLE, New York would have been approximately $3.5 million below the second apron with just 12 roster spots filled (each team needs to have 14 players under contract). Consequently, the Knicks would not have been able to sign a veteran to a minimum contract before the start of the regular season, as it would push them over the apron by roughly $36,000. Thus, they would have been forced to sign two rookie minimum players, or trade away a rotation player to slash salary, or wait 14 days after Opening Night to sign a veteran to a prorated contract.

However, with Yabusele settling for a bit less, New York now has the flexibility to sign any veteran free agent available, regardless of their NBA experience, to a one-year deal for their 13th roster spot.

Bradley Beal, for instance, has 13 years of NBA experience, which means he would earn $3.6 million on a vet min deal next season.

Amir Coffey has 6 years of experience, so he would earn $2.8 million on a vet min deal.

However, both Beal (or any other player with 10 or more years of NBA experience) and Coffey (or any other player with 6 years of NBA experience) would count the same exact amount against the Knicks' 2025-26 salary cap: $2,296,274.

(As an FYI, the league reimburses teams who sign veterans with 3+ years of experience to 1-year, vet min contracts, because the union/NBA doesn't want clubs targeting younger, cheaper players instead of older vets, who would be more expensive.)

This would leave New York with enough cap room to sign a player without NBA experience (such as second-round picks James Nnaji or Mohamed Diawara) to a rookie minimum contract ($1.27 million).

There are plenty of quality free agents that have slipped through the cracks and are still available on the open market. We'll dedicate a post later in the week to providing an updated list of players that could make sense for New York.

🏀 Yabusele spoke with SKWEEK TV over the weekend and explained why he chose New York over a few other clubs that were pursuing him, including how impressed he was by the Knicks squad when Philly matched up against them last season.

"It's a couple of teams that we play against, and I was looking at them, like, 'Oh my God, this team plays good together. They're a good team. I can tell it's a good group of guys, there's no bad guys, there's no problems," Yabusele explained (h/t Hoops Rumors). "And I was looking at them like, 'Oh my God, this could be like a good chance and opportunity to play there.'"

"I feel like their team, it really [matches] my DNA, I would say, to fight, to play hard, to be the underdogs, to go and fight every night," added Yabusele.

🏀 It appears the free-agent market will include an additional, unexpected name: Bradley Beal.

Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported on Sunday that Beal is "actively exploring his options with other teams" as he and the Suns close in on a buyout agreement.

Phoenix would obviously prefer to trade Beal, but his decline in production, combined with his massive salary and his no-trade clause, make that virtually impossible.

For the Suns to be eligible to stretch-and-waive Beal, he would have to give back nearly $14 million. This would reduce the total amount of his contract to less than $111 million, which is crucial because the CBA prevents teams from stretching any salary if it exceeds 15% of the salary cap.

It appears that the agreement will be announced shortly, allowing Beal to become an unrestricted free agent.

🏀 In a potentially related move, Shams Charania of ESPN broke the news this morning that the Clippers, Jazz and Heat are consummating a significant three-team trade. The Heat will acquire Norman Powell, with John Collins heading to Los Angeles and Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson and a 2027 Clippers second-round pick being shipped to Utah.

There was some initial speculation that Miami might be a landing spot for Beal, but with Powell now in South Beach, they are less likely to make a push. Conversely, one of the reasons the Clippers were willing to part ways with Powell (who has just one year left on his current contract) may be because they have back-channeled with Beal's camp. Something to keep an eye on…

🏀 On the Mike Brown-front, Marc Stein of The Stein Line, in his Sunday Substack, reports that Phoenix and New York (the two teams that have hired new head coaches this offseason and are looking for top assistants) have both "expressed interest in trying to hire Darvin Ham away from the Bucks. However, per Stein, Milwaukee is "determined to keep" Ham from making a lateral move, and wants him to stay in MIL unless he gets offered a head coaching gig.

Casey Powell (aka CP The Fanchise) of Knicks Fan TV reported on Saturday morning that Brown's new contract with New York is for four years and will pay him between $8 million and $9 million annually.

(And, while we are here, big shout out to CP and the rest of the KnicksFanTV squad, as we took home the title at the inaugural #KnicksTwitterDay tournament this weekend. It was a phenomenal event bringing together the Knicks Twitter community, hosted by Shaun Possible and held at the Stuy Dome in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. I was super happy to chip in and really proud of my team, as we took home the championship in a double-overtime thriller!

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🏀 Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe cites a source that believes the Celtics are one of the teams Damian Lillard will seriously consider signing with now that he is a free agent. With Jayson Tatum (a friend of Dame from their days together on Team USA) also recovering from a torn Achilles, this is expected to be a gap year for Boston, which has already dumped two starters from their title team. The C's can offer Lillard the taxpayer midlevel exception (up to $5.7 million).

🏀 Lastly, it's worth noting that Yabusele agreeing to a discount is a continuation of a trend we've seen in New York, highlighting one of the reasons why New York has enjoyed sustained success under Leon Rose and this Knicks' front office. Rose and Company's ability to "win on the margins" has differentiated NY as one of the league's premier front offices.

In 2023, they inked Donte DiVincenzo for less than the mid-level exception, signing the sharpshooter to a four-year, $46.9 million deal. Plenty of pundits and fans argued New York should have traded valuable draft assets in exchange for Dejounte Murray or Bradley Beal. Instead, Rose "settled" for signing DDV to a contract for less than the MLE. We know how well that turned out for New York (and ATL and PHX, respectively).

Six months later, after acquiring OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa in exchange for R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, the Knicks locked up Miles McBride to an incredibly team-friendly extension ($13 million over three years).

Last summer, New York entered the 2024 draft with the 24th, 25th, and 38th overall picks. After seemingly dozens of trades, the Knicks exited the 2024 draft with:

• Pacome Dadiet (an enticing, athletic draft-and-stash 18-year-old)

• Tyler Kolek (a gritty, proven, productive, plug-and-play backup PG)

• Kevin McCullar Jr. (an NBA-ready 6'7 wing who averaged 18/6/4 at Kansas)

• Ariel Hukporti (a physical 22-year-old rim-protecting center)

• $1.5 million in cash and three additional future second-round picks in their pocket

Then, New York signed Dadiet for only 80% of the rookie scale figure. Instead of earning $2.7 million in 2024-25, Dadiet made $1.8 million, which saved NY more than $900,000 against this year's cap.

A few weeks later, it was announced that Jalen Brunson had agreed to a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension, effectively leaving $113 million in guaranteed money on the table. (Brunson could have decided to wait until this summer, when he would have been eligible to sign a $269 million contract.)

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, "Brunson's study of championship organizations and franchise stars -- Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs, the Tom Brady New England Patriots and the Derek Jeter New York Yankees -- gave him a blueprint for MVP-level players who structured contracts to give their teams the best chances at sustainable title runs."

At the start of last season, the Knicks shrewdly took advantage of a loophole in the CBA that gives teams up to 14 consecutive days below the roster minimum before they must have 14 players under guaranteed contracts. This allowed New York to wait until November before signing Matt Ryan to a minimum pact and converting Hukporti from a two-way contract to a regular contract. By December, they were able to bring up Landry Shamet, who had completed his rehab.

Over the first week of free agency this offseason, New York has bolstered their bench by adding Jordan Clarkson (one of the highest scoring sixth men in NBA history) for the veteran minimum amount of $2.3 million and Guerschon Yabusele for less than the TPMLE.

Considering the massive mistakes made by the front offices that preceded Leon Rose and Worldwide Wes, the precise, enterprising way this current group has operated is nothing short of remarkable.