Knicks Cap Situation 2025 off-season. Who wants to talk cap space?

[Jalen Bluntson]

I thought all three are team options. Kolek/Dadiet/Huk. Also PJ Tucker has a 3.5 mil TO as well. I haven't checked though. Lazy Sunday.

Kolek signed a 3 year guaranteed deal when they signed him. That's unusual for a 2nd rounder, but not unheard of. His contract started higher but ends lower than a late first round pick.

2.08, 2.19, 2.26 for this past season and the next 2. Then he has a team option for 2.4 so he's under control for the next 3 years at close to or even maybe a hair below vet minimum rates. Still, it's hard to feel bad for a 20 something year old who gets over 6 million in guaranteed money to play a game. A good deal for both sides. The Knicks considered taking Kolek in the first round, but the 2nd round deal gives them a bit more financial flexibility.

Dadiet, even though he signed for less, Rookies get a bigger boost going into year two. He's guaranteed 2.84 this year, more than a vet minimum deal, then for 26-27, 2.9 as a team option, then 5.3 for 27-28, then qualifying offer the following year. I have no idea if Dadiet will earn those 5 million dollar contract extensions. It's a little early to say.

Yes, Tucker has a 3.5 million team option, but I'd be surprised if they pick that up given his age. Maybe they could use him in trade discussions if they work out a trade in the next couple weeks. I have a hard time seeing them keeping Tucker with how tight their finances are. I think Delon Wright might be a keeper. I thought he showed a little more than Tucker. Just my 2 cents. They only have space for maybe 2, possibly 3 if they make a move . . . vet minimum deals, after that maybe part of the year deals like Shamet & Matt Ryan got last year, or 2nd round picks that fit under the cap.

- -

I wonder, all this talk about working out French players, maybe they like Dadiet and plan to keep him. He showed some upside last year. A mini French Connection. Maybe they could bring over Freddy Weiss as a coach. (kidding).

I was really asking if ANY are worth keeping vs. getting a decent vet or 2 and G leaguers filing out the roster?

I guess the team will do whatever they feel is necessary. We really can't speak to what we have because we didn't get to see them play much. They all showed flashes but, no one had any sample size to base anything off of.

We will possibly see one or more shipped out in some cap move mind fuq from Aller.

[Luv those Knicks]

I was really asking if ANY are worth keeping vs. getting a decent vet or 2 and G leaguers filing out the roster?

Kolek & Huk are keepers for sure. Dadiet probably is, plus he's on a guaranteed deal. McCullar is the only question mark, but I think they can keep him on a two way or on less money than a vet minimum. My guess is they keep all 4. McCullar saw the least time, but he looked OK when he played. A new coach might want to look at all 4 players. A decision on who to keep might not be made till after the summer league.

How many 2nd round picks they sign this year is also interesting. They might not have money to fill the roster with vets even with minimum deals, so they might load up on 2nd round picks or go with a short roster for part of the year, like they did last year.

[Luv those Knicks]

Technical question. What is the status of Tucker, MarJon Beauchamp, Delon Wright, and Anton Watson as of now? Are they Knicks?

Beauchamp and Watson were on two ways, do they have and chance of returning?

As I understand it, the two ways, they're knicks in the sense that the Knicks own their rights. Two way contracts are the cheapest contracts a team can have. I think a team can have 3 two way contracts. The Knicks might use a two way for the 50th pick or maybe they look at someone else, or even a euro like Jokabaitus (unlikely), Besson (maybe) or Nnaji (maybe) or maybe McCullar, so Watson & Beauchamp are kind of in limbo. I think they're free to try to get guaranteed deals from other teams too.

But there is a chance Beauchamp & Watson return, similar to how Jacob Toppin kept returning to the team.

Tucker is under contract but it's a team option and he probably gets released before it becomes guaranteed. Until that happens, they can explore trades.

Wright, as I understand it, is a full free agent. That doesn't mean he's out of the picture as they could bring him back on a vet minimum deal.

[WaltFrazier]

I was really asking if ANY are worth keeping vs. getting a decent vet or 2 and G leaguers filing out the roster?

Kolek & Huk are keepers for sure. Dadiet probably is, plus he's on a guaranteed deal. McCullar is the only question mark, but I think they can keep him on a two way or on less money than a vet minimum. My guess is they keep all 4. McCullar saw the least time, but he looked OK when he played. A new coach might want to look at all 4 players. A decision on who to keep might not be made till after the summer league.

How many 2nd round picks they sign this year is also interesting. They might not have money to fill the roster with vets even with minimum deals, so they might load up on 2nd round picks or go with a short roster for part of the year, like they did last year.

I saw a discussion on a Raptors thread that because of NIL, college guys might stay in school longer if they're not first round material. So either second round will be even less talented than usual, or guys will be more NBA ready because they have to declare eventually, after 4-4 years college. Not sure where that trend stands now, if it even is a thing.

[8516knicks]

I was really asking if ANY are worth keeping vs. getting a decent vet or 2 and G leaguers filing out the roster?

Kolek & Huk are keepers for sure. Dadiet probably is, plus he's on a guaranteed deal. McCullar is the only question mark, but I think they can keep him on a two way or on less money than a vet minimum. My guess is they keep all 4. McCullar saw the least time, but he looked OK when he played. A new coach might want to look at all 4 players. A decision on who to keep might not be made till after the summer league.

How many 2nd round picks they sign this year is also interesting. They might not have money to fill the roster with vets even with minimum deals, so they might load up on 2nd round picks or go with a short roster for part of the year, like they did last year.

I saw a discussion on a Raptors thread that because of NIL, college guys might stay in school longer if they're not first round material. So either second round will be even less talented than usual, or guys will be more NBA ready because they have to declare eventually, after 4-4 years college. Not sure where that trend stands now, if it even is a thing.

Yeah, I figure a guy like Dixon (last year at Nova) made MUCH more from NIL than he will with a pro contract, even 2nd round.

Summary by Tier
Level Typical Annual NIL Income
Top 10–15 players $2.5M – $4M (megadeals)
All‑league starters $1.5M – $2.5M
Starters (average) $500K – $1.5M (wide range)
Bench contributors $200K – $700K
Power‑5 average ~$171K

[WaltFrazier]

Kolek & Huk are keepers for sure. Dadiet probably is, plus he's on a guaranteed deal. McCullar is the only question mark, but I think they can keep him on a two way or on less money than a vet minimum. My guess is they keep all 4. McCullar saw the least time, but he looked OK when he played. A new coach might want to look at all 4 players. A decision on who to keep might not be made till after the summer league.

How many 2nd round picks they sign this year is also interesting. They might not have money to fill the roster with vets even with minimum deals, so they might load up on 2nd round picks or go with a short roster for part of the year, like they did last year.

I saw a discussion on a Raptors thread that because of NIL, college guys might stay in school longer if they're not first round material. So either second round will be even less talented than usual, or guys will be more NBA ready because they have to declare eventually, after 4-4 years college. Not sure where that trend stands now, if it even is a thing.

Yeah, I figure a guy like Dixon (last year at Nova) made MUCH more from NIL than he will with a pro contract, even 2nd round.

Summary by Tier
Level Typical Annual NIL Income
Top 10–15 players $2.5M – $4M (megadeals)
All‑league starters $1.5M – $2.5M
Starters (average) $500K – $1.5M (wide range)
Bench contributors $200K – $700K
Power‑5 average ~$171K

This made me realize how little I know about NIL so I googled a bit. https://www.gogamechange.com/blog/where-does-nil-money-come-from#:~:text=Colleges%20aren%27t%20paying%20athletes,on%20funding%20from%20the%20universities.

Pretty wide open concept, with varying rules from state to state.

With so many different rules and guidelines, there’s growing interest in establishing a federal NIL standard that would apply to all athletes, regardless of the state they play in. This potential legislation would create a more consistent NIL environment, simplifying things for athletes, universities, and businesses alike. However, federal NIL regulation is still in discussion stages, and it’s unclear when or if it will become a reality

For example what would Kolek have made in his last year?

[8516knicks]

I saw a discussion on a Raptors thread that because of NIL, college guys might stay in school longer if they're not first round material. So either second round will be even less talented than usual, or guys will be more NBA ready because they have to declare eventually, after 4-4 years college. Not sure where that trend stands now, if it even is a thing.

Yeah, I figure a guy like Dixon (last year at Nova) made MUCH more from NIL than he will with a pro contract, even 2nd round.

Summary by Tier
Level Typical Annual NIL Income
Top 10–15 players $2.5M – $4M (megadeals)
All‑league starters $1.5M – $2.5M
Starters (average) $500K – $1.5M (wide range)
Bench contributors $200K – $700K
Power‑5 average ~$171K

This made me realize how little I know about NIL so I googled a bit. https://www.gogamechange.com/blog/where-does-nil-money-come-from#:~:text=Colleges%20aren%27t%20paying%20athletes,on%20funding%20from%20the%20universities.

Pretty wide open concept, with varying rules from state to state.

With so many different rules and guidelines, there’s growing interest in establishing a federal NIL standard that would apply to all athletes, regardless of the state they play in. This potential legislation would create a more consistent NIL environment, simplifying things for athletes, universities, and businesses alike. However, federal NIL regulation is still in discussion stages, and it’s unclear when or if it will become a reality

For example what would Kolek have made in his last year?

Didn't wade into the state rules but Kolek was likely "All League." So probably $1.5 to 2.5 M

[Jalen Bluntson]

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/new-york-knicks/cap

$8,045,816 under the 2nd apron

Brunson/Kolek
Mikal/Deuce
Hart/Pac
OG/Tucker
KAT[/Mitch/Huk

Team option
Tucker $3,468,960
Huk $1,955,377

$5,424,337 total

We do have some wiggle room to increase available apron space. I am not sure how to get that total though. Do I subtract the total money or the cap hit for the team options?

Tucker has a cap hold of $2,296,274

We have $30+mil in cap holds on

Precious/Payne/Shamet/Wright/Tucker/McCullar/Beauchamp/Watson/Kopponen

[NoStatsGuy]

9mil seems like a safe guestimate.

Blah. 3 vet minis costs 10mil

I'm fairly sure it doesn't work like that. Vets get paid 3 million, but the cap hit is lower. Or, it can be. But this is getting into the area where I'm not crystal clear on the numbers.

doesnt it have to do with how long the player is in the league?

just in hyptheticals lebron would get a higher vet min than lets say someone like jrue holiday

[douggood]

9mil seems like a safe guestimate.

Blah. 3 vet minis costs 10mil

I'm fairly sure it doesn't work like that. Vets get paid 3 million, but the cap hit is lower. Or, it can be. But this is getting into the area where I'm not crystal clear on the numbers.

doesnt it have to do with how long the player is in the league?

just in hyptheticals lebron would get a higher vet min than lets say someone like jrue holiday

10+ years all min salaries are same.
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cba/minimum

the nba only subsidizes contracts of minimum players if they sign simple 1 year deals
so in pj tuckers case he signed a 1+1 the nba did not subsidize that

if you sign a player who has 3 or more years of experiece to simple 1 year deal, they only count the 2nd year minimum salary to the cap, nba pays the rest of it and it doesnt count to cap.

lets use pj tucker as example
so if PJ tucker signs a 1 year deal he gets paid 3.99 mil, counts 2.5 mil to cap, knicks pay him 2.5, nba pays him the rest
but if he signs a 1+1 deal, he gets paid 3.99, counts 3.99 to cap and the knicks pay him 3.99

[NoStatsGuy]

I'm fairly sure it doesn't work like that. Vets get paid 3 million, but the cap hit is lower. Or, it can be. But this is getting into the area where I'm not crystal clear on the numbers.

doesnt it have to do with how long the player is in the league?

just in hyptheticals lebron would get a higher vet min than lets say someone like jrue holiday

10+ years all min salaries are same.
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cba/minimum

the nba only subsidizes contracts of minimum players if they sign simple 1 year deals
so in pj tuckers case he signed a 1+1 the nba did not subsidize that

gotcha, thanks for clearing that up.

the veteran minimum slots will be so important for us!

[Luv those Knicks]

doesnt it have to do with how long the player is in the league?

just in hyptheticals lebron would get a higher vet min than lets say someone like jrue holiday

10+ years all min salaries are same.
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cba/minimum

the nba only subsidizes contracts of minimum players if they sign simple 1 year deals
so in pj tuckers case he signed a 1+1 the nba did not subsidize that

gotcha, thanks for clearing that up.

the veteran minimum slots will be so important for us!

I think it will depend on who's available. I think Cam Payne was on a minimum deal last year, and he wasn't bad. Shamet & Matt Ryan obviously were on minimum deals too - non guaranteed, though Shamet made it the entire year and became guaranteed and that 40 year old . . . PJ Tucker came over on a vet minimum deal too but he didn't play much.

I hope they can find better this year. 2 or 3 or even 4 solid vets getting rotation minutes could help a lot, but it will depend on who they can get.

[Luv those Knicks]

The good news: The Knicks have been active in the free agent market, signing a combo guard and a big man, the first for the vet minimum and the 2nd for the tax payer exception.

Now the bad news. Their roster is almost set, baring a trade that sheds salary. They don't even have room for a vet minimum signing.

Read on Twitter

12 guaranteed contracts

Kat 53.1
OGA 39.6
Brunson 34.9
Bridges 24.9 (resigning next year could be a problem, could be a trade candidate)
Hart 19.4
Mitch 12.9 (final year of contract, also injury history. trade candidate)
Yabu 5.1 (player option next year, he might be here for just 1 season) . . . I love the guy, but gotta be real
McBride 4.3
Clarkson (vet min, 2. something against the cap)
Dadiet 2.8 (if traded for nothing in return that opens up some room, a vet minimum spot and a little)
Kolek 2.1
Huk 1.95


The rest will need to be two way deals . . . maybe a part of the year signing like they did with Shamet last year. It's pretty snug. I like the players they've added, but salary wise, they're in a tight spot.

The tweet says "rookie minimum", but I don't see that happening. None of their rookie signings are going to get more than a two-way, I think. It's going to be a year of roster juggling, like last year. Maybe going with fewer than 14 active players the first few weeks like last year.

Hope everyone stays healthy.

They do have their 2026 first rounder and a few seconds that they can trade if they need to move salary.

[Richard4444]

The good news: The Knicks have been active in the free agent market, signing a combo guard and a big man, the first for the vet minimum and the 2nd for the tax payer exception.

Now the bad news. Their roster is almost set, baring a trade that sheds salary. They don't even have room for a vet minimum signing.

Read on Twitter

We dont have money for 2 vet min barring a trade.

Só we need a rookie min who earns only 1,3m to be our 14th guy.

Kat 53.1
OGA 39.6
Brunson 34.9
Bridges 24.9 (resigning next year could be a problem, could be a trade candidate)
Hart 19.4
Mitch 12.9 (final year of contract, also injury history. trade candidate)
Yabu 5.1 (player option next year, he might be here for just 1 season) . . . I love the guy, but gotta be real
McBride 4.3
Clarkson (vet min, 2. something against the cap)
Dadiet 2.8 (if traded for nothing in return that opens up some room, a vet minimum spot and a little)
Kolek 2.1
Huk 1.95


The rest will need to be two way deals . . . maybe a part of the year signing like they did with Shamet last year. It's pretty snug. I like the players they've added, but salary wise, they're in a tight spot.

The tweet says "rookie minimum", but I don't see that happening. None of their rookie signings are going to get more than a two-way, I think. It's going to be a year of roster juggling, like last year. Maybe going with fewer than 14 active players the first few weeks like last year.

Hope everyone stays healthy.

They do have their 2026 first rounder and a few seconds that they can trade if they need to move salary.

We dont have enough money to sign 2 vet min.

We need one rookie min for 1.3m to be our 14th regular roster spot guy.

[Luv those Knicks]

We dont have enough money to sign 2 vet min.

We need one rookie min for 1.3m to be our 14th regular roster spot guy.

I don't think anyone they currently have who's eligible for a rookie deal who's also earned one. They can go a few weeks into the season with a short roster, like they did last year.

Huk got promoted to a full contract about 30 games into the season last year so I could see them doing that. Off hand, I'd say McCullar or Besson have the best chance to do that. They could sign a guy like Shamet like they did last year to a G league deal and promote him a few months to stay under the 2nd apron. They did that least year too.

When you say our "14th" guy Who's the 13th? I think they have 12 right now and rights to a few, but just 12 on real contracts. Am I forgetting someone?

KAT, Mitch, Huk, Yabu
OGA, Bridges, Hart
Brunson, Clarkson, McBride
Dadiet, Kolek,

I see 12.

McCullar is probably on a 2-way deal again. If he's healthy, he could be an end of the bench player though. He probably has the best shot, but even in his case, I think they start him in the G-league and maybe convert him to a contract if he looks good - like they did with Huk last year.

Diawara - Two way or Euro stash

I don't know where the team stands on Besson, and I know they have other Euros, but I'm not sure if any are NBA capable.

I think Jokubaitus is probably not an option, as they don't need another PG. I don't see a spot for that fun Australian guard either, though I'm looking forward to watch him play in summer league.

Pate - could be a two-way deal. He's just 19 though and he can't shoot. One to watch in the summer league though.

Only 3 two-way deals allowed and who they go to remains to be seen.

It's not much room to play with. Unless they trade some salary but I'm not sure why they can trade who they won't miss.

Am I overthinking this?

[Richard4444]

We dont have enough money to sign 2 vet min.

We need one rookie min for 1.3m to be our 14th regular roster spot guy.

I don't think anyone they currently have who's eligible for a rookie deal who's also earned one. They can go a few weeks into the season with a short roster, like they did last year.

Huk got promoted to a full contract about 30 games into the season last year so I could see them doing that. Off hand, I'd say McCullar or Besson have the best chance to do that. They could sign a guy like Shamet like they did last year to a G league deal and promote him a few months to stay under the 2nd apron. They did that least year too.

When you say our "14th" guy Who's the 13th? I think they have 12 right now and rights to a few, but just 12 on real contracts. Am I forgetting someone?

KAT, Mitch, Huk, Yabu
OGA, Bridges, Hart
Brunson, Clarkson, McBride
Dadiet, Kolek,

I see 12.

McCullar is probably on a 2-way deal again. If he's healthy, he could be an end of the bench player though. He probably has the best shot, but even in his case, I think they start him in the G-league and maybe convert him to a contract if he looks good - like they did with Huk last year.

Diawara - Two way or Euro stash

I don't know where the team stands on Besson, and I know they have other Euros, but I'm not sure if any are NBA capable.

I think Jokubaitus is probably not an option, as they don't need another PG. I don't see a spot for that fun Australian guard either, though I'm looking forward to watch him play in summer league.

Pate - could be a two-way deal. He's just 19 though and he can't shoot. One to watch in the summer league though.

Only 3 two-way deals allowed and who they go to remains to be seen.

It's not much room to play with. Unless they trade some salary but I'm not sure why they can trade who they won't miss.

Am I overthinking this?

Right now, we have 12 guys.

One need to be a rookie. THE 14 guy.

The other probably can be a vet. We are around 30k short. But yabusele can give a discount or we can wait to sign the last guy to reduce his pro rata salary.

Jeremy Cohen believes we will sign Mccular because being a sophomore, he is a bit cheaper.

We only can have 13 players in the roster for about 2 weeks into the regular season, is i am mot mistaken.

[HarthorneWingo]

When do you think they decide if any of last year's rookies is worth keeping into a new contract? And is Dadiet worth 2.9 million over using that money and some of the rest available for a sturdy vet big to supplement Mitch?

$2.9 for Dadiet seems wasteful. How does he even get any minutes?

[Context]

this happened last year...guys were going back and forth thinking we were above the apron and then we found out we were under. I am sure
the knicks have it worked out so we are under. Something is off...

[Luv those Knicks]

This article covers it better than I did. There's a chance they'll have room for another rookie minimum signing depending on if Yabusele signed for a bit under the tax payer MLE.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/where-the-knicks-cap-situation-sits-two-days-into-free-agency/ar-AA1HQavm?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ACTS&cvid=b48ee62534214e359690892a8cd6de27&ei=19

[aq_ua]

This article covers it better than I did. There's a chance they'll have room for another rookie minimum signing depending on if Yabusele signed for a bit under the tax payer MLE.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/where-the-knicks-cap-situation-sits-two-days-into-free-agency/ar-AA1HQavm?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ACTS&cvid=b48ee62534214e359690892a8cd6de27&ei=19

Given Brock Aller, we probably will figure out a way to add one more veteran min contract and a second round/rookie exception player to the roster to fill out our 14. There’s still a hole at the backup wing position, unless the team is counting on Dadiet to step up, which seems like a huge assumption given how little he played last year.