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Two Contracts Stall, One Apron To Blame

Towns and McBride are both waiting on new money, and the cap sheet explains why.

$230.2MNew York's total payroll
By the Knicks Nightly Desk · Saturday, September 26

Karl-Anthony Towns has heard nothing new since Shams Charania reported extension talks had stagnated, and now Miles McBride says he's "a little disappointed" by how his own talks are going. New York is $230.2 million into its books, already above the second apron, which is exactly the room both negotiations are fighting over.

$230.2M: New York's total payroll

McBride Speaks Up

Miles McBride told it straight: he's "a little disappointed" by the pace of his extension talks, according to a Friday report from hoopsrumors. No confidence score comes attached to that one, and the status is still open, but it's the guard's own words, not a leak. That matters. A player saying he's frustrated is a different animal than an anonymous source floating a number.

Towns Still Stuck

The bigger contract remains stalled. Shams Charania reported this week that talks between the Knicks and Towns have gone stagnant, a story hoopsrumors matched days later. That report carries an 88 out of 100 on credibility, about as high as these things get without an official announcement. The Post's Stefan Bondy has been calling it a $272 million question for a week now, and nothing since has moved it off that number.

Why The Math Is Stuck

New York carries $230.2 million in salary, past the $221.7 million second apron and well clear of the $200.4 million luxury-tax line. Towns alone counts for $57.1 million, Anunoby for $42.5 million, Brunson for $37.7 million, Bridges for $33.5 million. There's no clean way to add money for Towns or McBride without touching someone else's number, and the picks this front office already sent to Brooklyn make a trade-and-reset harder to pull off.

What To Believe

Charania's report on Towns is the one to trust — a high score and a named insider with a track record on this beat. McBride's comment is real, too, straight from him, but it's a mood, not a divorce filing. Neither report says a trade is coming or a deal is dead. Both are stalled, not broken.

The Bottom Line

Two extensions, one apron, and a champion that has to find room somehow. Camp opens with both players on the floor, McBride working and Towns still waiting on a number. The cap sheet isn't getting friendlier before the trade deadline.

Is Karl-Anthony Towns getting traded?

No trade report exists. Charania reported only that extension talks have stagnated, not that New York is shopping him.

Why haven't the Knicks extended Miles McBride?

McBride said he's "a little disappointed" by the pace of talks. New York is already $230.2 million into its payroll and above the second apron, which limits how it can structure new money.

By the Knicks Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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