Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2025 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the New York Knicks.
Free agent signings
Guerschon Yabusele: Two years, $11,275,000. Second-year player option. Signed using taxpayer mid-level exception.- Jordan Clarkson: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Trades
- Acquired the draft rights to Mohamed Diawara (No. 51 pick) and the draft rights to Luka Mitrovic from the Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Kobe Sanders (No. 50 pick).
Draft picks
- 2-51: Mohamed Diawara
- Unsigned.
Two-way signings
- None
Departed/unsigned free agents
- Precious Achiuwa (unsigned)
- MarJon Beauchamp (unsigned)
- Kevin McCullar Jr. (unsigned/RFA)
- Cameron Payne (unsigned)
- Landry Shamet (unsigned)
- P.J. Tucker (unsigned)
- Anton Watson (unsigned)
- Delon Wright (unsigned)
Other roster moves
- Signed Mikal Bridges to a four-year, $150,000,000 veteran contract extension that begins in 2026/27. Includes fourth-year player option and trade kicker (5.69%).
- Exercised team option on Ariel Hukporti ($1,955,377).
Salary cap situation
- Operating over the cap ($154.6MM) and above the luxury tax line ($187.9MM).
- Carrying approximately $204.1MM in salary.
- Hard-capped at $207,824,000.
- Portion of taxpayer mid-level exception ($185,000) available.
- One traded player exception ($2,092,344) frozen.
The offseason so far
When the Knicks made blockbuster trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in 2024, they gave up nearly all of their tradable first-round picks and sacrificed their cap flexibility for the foreseeable future, going all-in on a core headlined by Bridges, Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart.
If the new-look roster had crashed and burned in 2024/25, perhaps the club would’ve seriously explored trades involving one or more of those “core” players this summer, but after the Knicks made their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years this spring, no major roster changes were forthcoming.
That doesn’t mean it was an uneventful offseason in New York though. The biggest change came on the sidelines, where head coach Tom Thibodeau was let go after five pretty impressive seasons with the team. Thibodeau was named Coach of the Year in 2021 and won playoff series in 2023, 2024, and 2025, leading the Knicks to 50-win seasons in each of the past two years.
Still, Thibodeau faced plenty of criticism for his rotation decisions, including his tendency to lean heavily on his top players and not exercise a ton of patience with youngsters in the developmental stage. Thibodeau’s players have generally supported him publicly, but that relationship between the veteran coach and his players showed some signs of cracking in March during an odd back-and-forth through the media with Bridges. Player usage was reportedly one reason for Thibodeau’s dismissal, along with a sense that a talented roster wasn’t reaching its full potential.
New head coach Mike Brown will be tasked with getting more out of a similar roster that has undergone some changes around the edges. The club used most of its taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Guerschon Yabusele as a frontcourt replacement for Precious Achiuwa and was able to sign Jordan Clarkson to a minimum-salary contract after he was bought out by the Jazz.
Given their extremely limited ability to add talent while operating near the second tax apron, the Knicks’ decision to target Yabusele using their most valuable free agent asset – the taxpayer MLE – raised some eyebrows. But the Frenchman had a very successful return to the NBA last season for Philadelphia, serving as one of the few bright spots in a miserable Sixers season as he showed off a little scoring ability (11.0 PPG on .501/.380/.725 shooting), rebounding (5.6 RPG), and play-making (2.1 APG) while handling a variety of defensive assignments.
The hope in New York is that Brown will feel more confident deploying Yabusele than Thibodeau did with Achiuwa, whose playing time fluctuated over the course of the season and disappeared altogether in the playoffs.
As for Clarkson, the idea is for the veteran guard to add some scoring punch to a second unit that didn’t have much of it last season. The Knicks ranked dead-last in the NBA in bench scoring (21.7 PPG), finishing far behind the 29th-place Lakers (26.2 PPG). Clarkson is no longer in his prime as he enters his age-33 season, but even as his production has dipped a little over the past couple years, he has maintained a scoring average of 16.8 PPG in 28.7 MPG since the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Knicks’ most significant player transaction this summer came at the start of August, when the team finalized a four-year, $150MM extension with Bridges. The three-and-D forward had an up-and-down first season in New York, but still finished the year with a 50.0% field goal percentage and made several big defensive plays in the postseason. After giving up so many first-round picks for him a year ago, the Knicks were probably never going to let Bridges enter the season on an expiring contract.
Bridges’ maximum allowable four-year deal on an extension would have been worth about $156.2MM, so the Knicks were able to get a slight discount of about $1.5MM per year. It’s not much, but it could turn out to be more important than you’d think as the team continues to navigate the tax aprons in the coming years.
Up next
The Knicks are carrying just 12 players on standard contracts but also only have about $3.72MM in breathing room below their second-apron hard cap. Not only does that mean New York won’t be able to carry a 15th man until much later in the season, but it also means the team won’t have the ability to sign more than one free agent to a minimum-salary contract ($2,296,274).
The Knicks’ 14th man would have to be a draft-rights-held player on a rookie minimum deal ($1,272,870). Signing a rookie free agent wouldn’t suffice, since tax variance would be applied to that player, who would count as if he were a veteran free agent for tax and apron purposes.
There’s technically a way the Knicks could take a different route with that 14th roster spot, but it would require the team to shed some salary, either via trade or using the stretch provision (the latter will only be an option for a few more days). The most obvious candidate for a cost-cutting trade might be 2024 first-rounder Pacome Dadiet, who didn’t get much run as a rookie and whose 2025/26 salary ($2,847,600) is above the minimum.
But even trading Dadiet without taking any salary back wouldn’t quite create enough cap flexibility for the Knicks to sign a veteran free agent to be their 14th man after they’ve filled the 12th and 13th roster spots. So unless a bigger deal is coming – perhaps one involving center Mitchell Robinson – I think the Knicks will probably roll with their current group and operate like they did for most of last season — one player short of the 15-player max and right up against a hard cap.
Landry Shamet, Ben Simmons, and Malcolm Brogdon are among the veteran free agents who have been mentioned as candidates to be the Knicks’ 13th man, with Malik Beasley recently emerging as a potential option too. I get the sense that Beasley would be their top target if it looks like he’s in the clear in the federal gambling investigation being conducted by the Eastern District of New York, but he may receive offers worth more than the minimum.
For the 14th spot, 2025 second-rounder Mohamed Diawara and 2023 second-rounder James Nnaji look like the prime candidates. Both young bigs left their teams in Europe earlier this summer and seem to be preparing to join the Knicks. I’d probably bet on one to sign a standard contract and the other to get a two-way slot.
Speaking of two-way slots, the Knicks are the only NBA team that has yet to fill any so far this offseason. They still have a two-way qualifying offer on the table for Kevin McCullar Jr., so it’s a safe bet he’ll end up filling one of those openings. Either Diawara or Nnaji should get one too. That would still leave a third opening up for grabs before the start of the regular season.
If New York doesn’t have a specific target in mind for that spot, a training camp competition is possible — former G League Ignite prospect Dink Pate is among the players reportedly expected to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the team.
Finally, we should point out that Robinson is eligible for a contract extension and will maintain that eligibility throughout the regular season. The Knicks’ roster is getting increasingly expensive and Robinson has had a hard time staying on the court over the past few seasons, but he’s an extremely impactful defender and rebounder when he’s available. I wouldn’t expect New York to rush into a deal unless it’s a team-friendly one, but if Robinson looks healthy and effective this fall, it could certainly be worth exploring.
Knicks just brought back their team from last year. Which is fine why change around a team that made it almost to the finals. they did get stronger at center but weaker in bench but some players on teh bench could easily have a better year.
Achiuwa to Yabusele is a major upgrade. The top eight is rock solid. I’m also hopeful that Kolek and Hukporti will prove themselves by the end of the season. (I’m out on Clarkson but who knows, he could be reinvigorated going from tanking to a title chase.)
Anyway, these changes along with, primarily, the coaching change will give the team a different look this season. Not just different but better imo. Finals or bust.
that is a upgrade. payne and shamet was good bench players. Can Clarkson recover from a down year.
arc the bench is better now. They were worst scoring bench last yr. Clarkson and Yabusele address that. Mitch will be here from opening day. We didn’t have him last year. He only played 17 gms. They still need a shooter.
Shamet and Payne were good off the bench. Clarkson returns to old form the scoring will be alot better. Center spot is a upgrade. Not over playing Brunson so he doesn’t get hurt late in the season will be huge. If Brunson stays healthy he will get the Knicks to the championship series.
Mitch really kind of stinks and was mercilessly exploited in the playoffs. The whole reason he is needed is because Towns doesn’t consistently show the willingness/toughness to rebound and protect the rim. The complex equation of Mitch making up for what Towns lacks and Towns making up for Mitch’s awful offense doesn’t work in the playoffs. Eventually, Towns will have to defend someone he’s incapable of defending and Mitch will have to score points he’s incapable of scoring. It’s a passable road on a Tuesday night in Charlotte, but it’s a tough climb for a game 6 in the ECF.
@Druu: Mitch’s defense is outstanding and more than makes up for his offensive inefficiencies. I do agree, though, that it would be nice if he had just a little more of an offensive game. Shooting even 60% from the FT line would be a major improvement.
Stop speaking so much truth
I think the bench is stronger. Cam Payne was virtually unplayable in the playoffs after that one great game vs. Detroit. I would like to see them bring back Shamet if possible, to strengthen it further. A fully healthy Shamet can contribute off the bench on both sides of the ball.
I agree, Shamet is their best option now. Like to see him come back.
Knicks still don’t have a real SG since Divo trade.
I like Bridges a lot but he’s not a SG. Same for Hart and McBride.
Knicks are missing that knock down shooter who’s a deep threat. The spacing would be a huge bonus to Knicks offense.
If they can sign Beasley would be a small coup but otherwise they really need to add a vet shooter to make this roster complete.
Beasley for the minimum would be too good to pass up but he’ll get more money and minutes elsewhere. We really need another 5 so we can keep KAT at the 4.
Agreed that Beasley would be perfect addition for them, and also that he’ll get more money elsewhere, which he will take, since his money issues are unfortunately well publicized. I think Hukporti is a very viable 3rd C, but Knicks need KAT to play significant minutes at C. He got worn down the most by Thibs. I think he will be better defensively and make less silly “tired” fouls this year, which will make him more effective at C. In a perfect world they’d be able to package a couple picks and Mitch and get Divo and maybe Walker Kessler in a multi-team trade, but that’s probably dreaming too big haha.
Or a 3 team trade Mitch going out and Divo coming back, then sign Horford, but Horford is almost definitely going to GS, and isn’t a rim protector at this point. I just love Horford and he’d be awesome on this Knicks team.
Every single contender with a roster spot is thinking “Beasley on a minimum would be great”.
I think he’ll go back to Detroit for an above-minimum deal.
They can give him over 7 mill. For one year Detroit should definitely do it. Makes Pistons deep lol. Makes them strong top 4 in East.
The Knicks can not afford even one injury to a key player for any decent amount of time the entire season.
Boston and Indiana dropping out of the top tier changes that math. Outside of Brunson going down for an extended stretch, Knicks are still a top 4/5 team if one of their other starters goes down for an extended period. Hopefully replacing Thibs improves the whole team’s health.
None of the Knicks bench players from last year have found an NBA contract but you still think he was the problem. LOL
You can say this for virtually any team in the league. As long as everyone is healthy come playoff time, that is all that matters.
I (would have ) liked Payne over Clarkson and in an ideal world another C for that 13th last vet min spot but I don’t think that vet min C ever really existed in the market
As the article eludes its just so tough to wiggle with this team as they’ve had no avail money to their aprons in a long time and all their salary is legit and necessary.
Just having another 4 mill this year under the pillow would have really benefited them well to flex out the roster .
If your a team like Hou this is your pitch to KD to take a small shave which I think all parties will agree to here shortly . The crunch on NYK is Real and a function of Silvers new NBA warped vision. They have been one of the teams hit hardest here in the short tenure of new CBA
You and me both on Payne and another 5. I really don’t understand why they jumped on Clarkson so fast. At least Cam passes every now and then, and is the best hype man since Theo Pinson.
Hukporti is the third center. They don’t need another one. Why would you carry 4 centers. Hukporti got game. And he will help push a Mitch trade.
Clarkson is a proven scorer in NBA. He avg 16 and 4 ast last year. He is 32. A vet who understands his role. Obviously wants to win at this point. He took the minimum to chase a ring. He has done it for 11 yrs. Payne best year is not even Clarkson worst year. Clarkson was on his all rookie team and was a SMY.
He is an upgrade over Payne, Shamet, McBride. And gives Knicks what they lack most. Consistent scoring off the bench.
The 3.5 C (consider Kat 1/2 and 1/2 PF ) is only necessary Imo bc of Mitch’s health concerns . But there wasn’t really a C for vet min worth it this year so is what it is
I think your selling McBride incredibly short here putting him behind Clarkson. Consistent Clarkson?
Hukporti is the #2 center. KAT is the #1 PF.
Dink Pate is a big guard. This kid has a real handle and size. He is definitely worth keeping an eye on. I say a year in G-league learning Knick system. He has NBA size so could be ready for next year. Don’t want to rush him. He could push Knicks to trade Diadet.
McCullar is on his last contract. He should be healed now. At 24 it’s time to help the roster. He was suppose to be a bigger Josh Hart.
This year Knicks need one or more of their young guns. To level up and challenge for mins. I see Hukporti stepping up. , Diadet, Kolek also have to step up. Makes Knicks deeper stronger. And also enables a trade down the road. Mike Brown has to push these guys.
I see it this way. If all Knicks have is the 3.7 mill to spend. Means you can’t sign Ben or Brogdon (can’t believe Brogdon can sign minimum). Cause their vet minimum is 3.7 mill. I guess best rout is signing Shamet and Diawara. Diawara looked good in SL. He is long and plays smart. He can still play in G-league. As he sits at end of bench. He should be pushing Diadet.
This year is about coach Mike Brown impact. Towns and Bridges having better years. Towns on team D. Bridges on team O. Bridges has to level up. He has to be more selfish and aggressive. No reason why he can’t avg 22-23 a game. Knicks upgrade rests with these two players. Their bench will be much better this year. Imo their biggest weakness is team D. Specifically in closing out games. Towns and Brunson got exposed by Pacers. That can’t happen this year. Knicks knew trading for Towns. Meant dealing with his D.-eficiencies. He played better here than he did in Minny. Unfortunately it isn’t enough. Can’t go into playoffs like that. With Mitch contract coming up. And Huporti looking like a backup C. Best course of action for Knicks. Is to trade for a D PF. Who can back up Towns. Can Yabusele do it ??
Bringing in another body that can give 20-22 mins a gm. Is what a Mitch trade can fetch. Someone like Jonathan Issac who should be available. Hart can go to bench and still get his 30 mins.
This to me is Knicks biggest hole. Best way to deal with it is to backup Towns on D. This will be Mike Browns biggest challenge. Knicks have to shoot for moon this year. This will be a tun year. NYK
All vet mins carry the same cap charge so that doesn’t matter. Can be any vet and any 2nd round rookie. The latter will be Diawara (the only other choice is Nnaji and he looked out of his element in SL).
10 year vet gets most money 3.7 mill. Not all the same. Two year vet and 5 year vet. Shamet is not due 3.7 mill. Simmons would be. Diawar could be the one. Still time for a trade. So we will see. Nnaji is yrs away. He us all about development. Great size and athletic at his size.
link to google.com
They count all the same Al. against the cap
League picks up the difference separately. Bargzz is correct
Offer Miles McBride, Kolek, Ariel H,, draft rights to a couple guys, cash and picks to Minnesota for Donte DiVincenzo
Knicks then maybe offer a standard contract to McCuller and Jazion Gortmen, two way James Nnaji, Pate and Diawara. The Knicks would have much better team plus a young team to develop
No thanks. McBride is nearly DDV’s equal overall and a better fit for this roster. Kolek and Hukporti respectively are the only natural 1 and 5 on the bench and should be playable by year’s end.
NYK offseason grade is at best B-minus, and that high only because 1) they had very little ammo, 2) this is a year that they should be able to count on substantial internal improvement as the core moves into its second season together, and 3) they did extend Bridges which allows them to avoid the potential walk year.
The one real decision they made was to use the TxMLE triggering the 2nd apron hard cap, and what will amount to a 13 man roster. I wouldn’t have, but we’ll see. Hopefully, GY will prove worth the 3 veteran players they could have had in his place. In any event, that decision will affect every move the NYK make or don’t make this season. For instance, the Clarkson signing. It was for vet min, but I thnk its being critiqued differently than that because we’re low on fillable roster spots.
Also, a bit surprised that there wasn’t any effort to address last year’s biggest issue (lack of C rim protection), although, again, I get that it was likely to be a futile exercise. If healthy, Mitch and Hukporti can probably get it done. If not, there’s a trade deadline, although we may have to be spectators again due that pesky hard cap.
I vote for Charles Bassey as 13th man, we need another 5 as you mentioned. I’m psyched about Yabusele. And I’m bullish on Hukporti and Kolek, and thus ok with missing a couple of mystery vet min guys. Reasonable stance though.