Knicks Trade Deadline Primer

Before we discuss the Knicks' needs and examine which players they should target, let me first detail the limitations team president Leon Rose faces as he endeavors to upgrade NY's roster...

It's almost that time of year, folks. We are just two weeks away from the NBA trade deadline. 

Before we discuss the Knicks' needs and examine which players they should target, let me first detail the limitations New York team president Leon Rose faces as he endeavors to upgrade his roster. 

The Knicks' total cap is north of $188 million, which means they are above the first tax apron by approximately $10 million and only half a million dollars short of the second apron. Because New York aggregated the salaries of Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, and Mamadi Diakite in the trade for Mikal Bridges and also took back salary via sign-and-trade (Milton), they are hard-capped at the second apron.

In the offseason, being above the first apron prevents teams from acquiring players via sign-and-trade or using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. But here's how it impacts the Knicks as we approach the February 6 trade deadline:

New York cannot exceed $188.9 million in total payroll under any circumstances. In addition, they can't take back more money than they send out in any trade. Consequently, if the Knicks wanted to make a deal with any of the other eight teams above the first apron, they would have to loop in a third club to help facilitate the transaction (that third team could potentially use a portion of its MLE as a trade exception to absorb the additional salary). 

Furthermore, the Knicks front office has proven it a forward-thinking collective. Yes, this is a "win now" team, but New York fully expects their window to remain open for a few more years. Thus, they will not jeopardize their long-term plans for a short-term fix.

Rose and company will do their best to avoid going over the second apron next season. The goal is to prevent taking that step until absolutely necessary so as to avoid the harshest punishments in the new CBA. 

The Knicks have roughly $195 million in committed salaries owed to nine players for the 2025-26 campaign. With a 10% rise in the cap, the second apron will land north of $207 million next season, which means New York would have more than $13 million to allocate to their final five roster spots, enabling them to duck beneath the second apron. 

However, after Bridges' team-friendly contract expires in 2026, the Knicks will very likely leap over the dreaded second-apron threshold and remain there for two consecutive campaigns (2026-27 and 2027-28) before reassessing the entire roster (KAT's contract expires in July of 2028, Hart has a team option for 28-29, etc.)

Consequently, if the Knicks decided to trade Mitchell Robinson, they'd probably prefer to avoid trading Mitch Rob for a player who will hit free agency next summer, as such a scenario (assuming they want to sign said player) could potentially start New York's second-apron-clock a year earlier than anticipated.

 I've also seen fans argue that New York should hold onto their remaining assets/picks and flesh out the roster by utilizing the buyout market and signing player(s) waived after the trade deadline. However, it is necessary to note that because they are over the first apron, the Knicks are prohibited from signing players off of waivers who previously made more than the mid-level exception ($12.9 million). For instance, even if Bruce Brown was waived by the Raps and wanted to sign with the Knicks, he would not be able to. 

Now, let's detail what New York can part with in terms of draft capital.

Here is each draft pick the Knicks possess over the next seven years: