The champions carry $220.4M, past the $200.4M tax line and the $209.0M first apron, with the $221.7M second apron just overhead. Five contracts run the books, Brooklyn owns two of the next three first-rounders, and Karl-Anthony Towns holds a $61.0M player option for 2027-28.
The Bill Arrives
The Knicks pay like champions because they are champions. Payroll stands at $220.4M against a $165.0M salary cap. That blows through the $200.4M luxury tax line and the $209.0M first apron. Only one line sits above them now, the $221.7M second apron, and this front office spent the entire fall working around it.
Five Men, One Budget
Towns makes $57.1M, Anunoby $42.5M, Brunson $37.7M, Bridges $33.5M and Hart $20.9M. Next season every one of those numbers climbs: Towns to $61.0M, Anunoby to $45.4M, Brunson to $40.5M, Bridges to $36.2M, Hart to $22.4M. Brunson put up 26.0 points a night last season and won Finals MVP, and he is third on the list. That is the best contract in the building.
The Cuts Tell It
Drew Eubanks, Tony Bradley and Ochai Agbaji were all gone by October 16, and Utah claimed Bradley the next day. Bruce Brown went on waivers October 17. Dink Pate came and went. That is a team counting dollars, not bodies. The backup centers are now Andre Drummond and James Wiseman at $2.4M each, which is cheap insurance behind Towns.
Towns Holds the Pen
The $61.0M option for 2027-28 belongs to Towns, not the Knicks. Extension talks were paused, he was described as "very disappointed" on October 11, and nothing has moved since. Meanwhile Miles McBride at $4.0M, plus Jordan Clarkson, Drummond and Wiseman, are not on the books for 2027-28. Tyler Kolek carries a $2.5M team option. That is minor relief for a payroll that only gets heavier at the top.
Bottom Line
The draft cupboard is bare. The 2027 and 2029 firsts are owed to Brooklyn, 2028 is a swap, and 2030 is the next first New York fully owns. The 2028 second goes to Detroit and the 2030 second to Atlanta. With almost nothing left to deal in picks, any real move means trading players. The 0-1 champions take that bill into Boston on Friday.
Are the Knicks over the second apron?
No. Payroll is $220.4M, above the $209.0M first apron but below the $221.7M second apron.
Can Karl-Anthony Towns opt out of his Knicks contract?
He holds a $61.0M player option for 2027-28. Extension talks were paused in October, and no decision has been reported.
