A few points about KnicksThe salary cap is the 15th point of the list and Emanuel Quickley As training camp approaches:
15th man?
The Knicks currently have 14 players under traditional NBA contracts. You can have up to 15 players in traditional NBA trades during the regular season.
So the Knicks can still add a player to their roster through free agency or trade.
If I had to guess, I don’t think they’re going to add a rotation player with that open roster spot. Before the 2023 World Cup, some of the organization’s strategists felt comfortable Josh Hart Per SNY sources, playing power forward on the second unit and developing as a short screen/roller on that unit. (** I mention the FIBA World Cup because it’s possible that thinking will change based on Hart’s or Hart’s performance. RJ Barrett during matches.)
Backing Hart at backup power forward suggests New York isn’t looking for a rotation player at the open position on its roster. Maybe another veteran will add with that point? (until they retire, Taj Gibson And Ryan Arcidiacono If New York wants to add someone with a good impact on the team’s locker room/culture, it will at least be considered. New York can have at least 14 players on the roster during the season (not including two-way players).
Adding another player has financial implications.
New York is tight $172.34 million in 2023-24. So they can’t exceed the team’s $172.34 million cap hit at any point this season. Both potential and unlikely rewards are considered. (New York has roughly $3.6 million in contingent bonuses and $5.1 million in contingent bonuses in 2023-24. Currently, New York has roughly $165.6 million in salary. So they have roughly $6.6 million left before hitting the hard cap They can add a 15th player without hitting the hard cap or tax line (assuming unlikely bonuses don’t come through.)
Concepts of IQ
Emanuel Quickley Eligible for rookie renewal. The deadline to reach an agreement is Oct. 24 — the day before the regular season.
Traditionally, negotiations with Quickley’s position players (mid-to-late first-round picks who have played well enough to earn a significant extension) begin in earnest before training camp.
Teams usually don’t want these important young players to be unhappy when they enter camp. We’ll find out in a few weeks if the Knicks and Quickley can come to terms on an extension.
I would be a little surprised if they didn’t make a deal.
As early as last season, members of the organization felt that New York was unlikely to extend both Quickley and Obi Tapin. A lot has happened since then. But obviously Taupin was traded to Indiana for two future second-round picks. And Quickley is coming off a great season.
So he should have a substantial extension in hand, and the Knicks have the resources to make an offer. A Quickley extension would likely push the Knicks over the luxury tax threshold. Let’s say Nickelli signs Quickley to a contract that starts at $18 million in the first year. That leaves them roughly $4.5 million away from the luxury tax and other roster spots to fill (*this figure does not account for new deals. Miles McBride And Isaiah Hartenstein; Both will be up for new contracts in 2024-25 — the first year of Quickley’s extension.)
The club should also be for one Quentin Grimes Extensions (starting in 2025-26) and new contracts for Jalen Branson And Julius Randle. So the current iteration of this team could be very expensive in two seasons.
But Governor Nix James Dolan He has never shied away from writing big checks to players, coaches and managers. So it would be a change in philosophy if he were to waver on paying the luxury tax to fund a competitive team in 2024-25 and beyond.
Another thing worth noting about Quickley’s extension negotiations: If Nickley were to extend Quickley, it would be very difficult to include him in a deal through the 2023-24 season. Quickley’s renewal will come with a “poison pill.” This provision creates a wide gap between entry and exit rights in any business involving Quickley.
For example, let’s say Quickley’s extension is four years and $72 million. If the Knicks were to include him in a deal in 2023-24, his salary would be roughly $4 million in cap money for New York. Quickley’s salary for trade purposes would be roughly $15 million, which the team that acquires him in a trade would get (this number is Quickley’s average salary in 2023-24 and the average annual salary of his extension).
The Knicks could add a third team in the Quickley deal to meet the league’s trade rules. But these deals get cumbersome. Therefore, a deal that includes Quickley in 2023-24 after the extension becomes nearly impossible.
Hypothetically, one option for New York would be to include a significant amount of rights in a deal with Quickley. In the hypothetical extension discussed above, the Knicks could receive between $39.6 million and $42.6 million in salary if Quickley was moved. Ivan Fournier And Mitchell Robinson in a deal during the 2023-24 season. The window for this type of trade also depends on the receiving team and how flexible they are with the league’s trade rules. So if an extension is signed, there are many hurdles to completing a deal that include it.
If he and the Knicks don’t agree to an extension, Quickley’s $4 million salary in 2023-24 is the only number to consider in potential trades. In this scenario, a deal involving Quickley becomes much easier.
Again, the guess here is that the Knicks and Quickley find common ground on the extension before opening night.
But if they can’t find common ground, Quickley will enter the 2024 offseason as a restricted free agent. The Knicks will have the option to match any offer Quickley accepts with another team during the 2024 season.