The Knicks Players Who Benefited Most From NBA Cup Prize Money
The Knicks‘ team salary this season is nearly $208MM, which is the second-highest figure in the NBA, behind only the Cavaliers ($228MM+). However, five of the 14 players on New York’s standard roster are on minimum-salary contracts, while a sixth is earning just slightly above the minimum.
So while the $530,933 bonus for winning the NBA Cup may be a drop in the bucket for the highest-paid players on the Knicks’ roster, like Karl-Anthony Towns ($53.1MM), OG Anunoby ($39.6MM), and Jalen Brunson ($34.9MM), it represents a significant pay raise for the players on the lower half of the Knicks’ cap sheet, as well as the players on two-way contracts who will receive bonuses worth $265,467 apiece (50% of the full prize share).
[RELATED: Details On NBA Cup Prize Money For 2025]
The NBA Cup prize money results in at least a 14% raise for each of the following Knicks players, whose 2025/26 base salaries are noted in parentheses:
Players receiving a $530,933 bonus:
Jordan Clarkson ($3,634,153)- Landry Shamet ($3,080,921)
- Pacome Dadiet ($2,847,600)
- Tyler Kolek ($2,191,897)
- Ariel Hukporti ($1,955,377)
- Mohamed Diawara ($1,272,870)
Players receiving a $265,467 bonus:
- Tosan Evbuomwan ($636,435)
- Trey Jemison ($636,435)
- Kevin McCullar Jr. ($636,435)
The bonuses for Diawara and the Knicks’ two-way players represent a raise of more than 40% on their respective base salaries.
None of this prize money will count against the salary cap, so the Knicks’ team salary for cap, tax, and apron purposes remains unchanged, as do the team salaries for San Antonio and the other six clubs who made the knockout round of the NBA Cup. Their prize money is as follows:
- Spurs: $212,373 per player ($106,187 for two-way players)
- Magic and Thunder: $106,187 per player ($53,094 for two-ways)
- Heat, Raptors, Lakers, and Suns: $53,093 per player ($26,547 for two-ways)
Knicks Win 2025 NBA Cup; Jalen Brunson Named MVP
The Knicks won Tuesday’s NBA Cup final, defeating San Antonio, 124-113, to claim their first in-season tournament title.
Star point guard Jalen Brunson was named MVP of tournament, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
Brunson’s statistics in the championship game were fairly run-of-the-mill by his lofty standards; he finished with 25 points, eight assists and four rebounds in 41 minutes, but shot just 11-of-27 from the field and committed four turnovers. However, he was awarded MVP not only for his play in the final but for the group stage and knockout rounds as well.
According to the league (Twitter link), 20 members of the media selected the MVP and Brunson was nearly a unanimous winner, earning 19 votes. Knicks forward OG Anunoby, who had an outstanding final (29 points on 11-of-17 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists), received the other vote.
As Law Murray of The Athletic tweets, the Spurs were up 11 points with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, but the Knicks rallied behind major contributions from reserves Mitchell Robinson (15 rebounds — including 10 offensive — in 18 minutes), Tyler Kolek (14 points, five rebounds, five assists in 20 minutes), and Jordan Clarkson (15 points in 27 minutes).
Brunson made sure to credit Anunoby, Robinson, Kolek and Clarkson after he was awarded MVP. “Without them, we don’t win this,” Brunson said, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Rookie guard Dylan Harper scored a team-high 21 points for San Antonio in the loss, and also matched a team-high with seven rebounds.
Head coach Mike Brown told the Knicks before the game that a banner would be raised in Madison Square Garden if they won, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (via Twitter).
NBA Considering New Site For Cup Final
The NBA Cup could be leaving Las Vegas.
The league is strongly considering a different site for next season’s championship game, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reports. NBA officials have been underwhelmed by the neutral-site approach, which they feel has lacked the energy and enthusiasm they hoped it would generate.
The league announced in September that this would be the last season that both the semifinals and championship game would be played at a neutral site. The eight games in Vegas across the last three seasons have mostly been played in front of less than capacity crowds. The atmosphere also hasn’t been the same as the home games played in the quarterfinals, Bontemps adds.
Other than the neutral site approach to the semis and finals, the league has largely accomplished the objectives that led to its creation. It has led to increased attention to the league during the early portion of the regular-season schedule and the players have largely embraced it.
The Knicks and Spurs will square off for the in-season tournament championship on Tuesday.
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Brown, Kolek, NBA Cup Final
In a league whose teams are increasingly seeking ball-handlers with size, Jalen Brunson‘s scoring mastery makes him something of a modern-day unicorn for the Knicks, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
“He’s got good pace, and he’s really smart. He doesn’t really get too bored with the game,” said Magic guard Jalen Suggs. “He doesn’t get too bored keeping it simple. He challenges you every possession. He’s one of the best players in our league. I love the fact that we get to play him four times a year. I’ve gotten better from our battles.”
Only seven players are currently averaging more points per game than Brunson, and of those seven, Edwards says, only two do so at a similar height: Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Maxey, both of whom possess athletic gifts that Brunson cannot replicate. That’s why Edwards refers to Brunson as, “pound for pound,” the best scorer in the NBA.
Despite Brunson’s All-NBA level play in recent years, skeptics continue to question whether a guard of his size can lead a team to a championship. As Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, the Knicks star is beginning to win over some of those doubters.
“No one thought that a team shooting a lot of threes could win a title until Golden State did it,” said Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade. “Charles [Barkley] is always talking about, ‘You can’t win shooting threes.’ So obviously anything is possible. Is it hard? Yes. It’s really, really hard. So that just means for Jalen to be as great as he needs to be, that means everybody else around him needs to get better. … But it is yet to be seen. We’ve got to see it, too.”
We have more from the Knicks:
- This year’s version of the Knicks has proven more resilient than in previous seasons, and much of that is due to new head coach Mike Brown, opines Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. Brown’s insistence on playing with pace has made New York’s offense less predictable, and his emphasis on hitting first in terms of physicality has made the team’s defense less toothless than last season. “I think our physicality is extremely better,” Josh Hart said. “When you’re able to be physical on the perimeter, you’re able to throw teams off what they do and now your defense is more impactful. You can be in passing lanes and do those kinds of things, protect shots at the rim. So I think our physicality is something that’s driving that, and that’s something we have to do.” Winfield notes that between those changes and getting Karl-Anthony Towns to play his best on defense, Brown may be laying the groundwork for a third Coach of the Year campaign.
- Miles McBride‘s ankle injury has given Tyler Kolek an opportunity to prove that he can be the backup point guard the Knicks need, and Saturday’s win against the Magic was a step in the right direction, Bondy and Jared Schwartz write for the New York Post. Kolek was a team-best plus-17 in his minutes and was on the court for a crucial part of the game at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth, as the Knicks took control. “Tyler did a fantastic job today, our young fella, of impacting winning,” Towns said after the victory. “He did that on a big stage tonight. I think one of his finest games as an NBA player was tonight, and may not show up on the stats sheet, but everybody in our locker room knows how important he was to us tonight.”
- The Knicks are trying to prove that they belong among the NBA’s true contenders, and Tuesday’s matchup against the Spurs in the NBA Cup championship will be a key battleground for them to do so, writes Steve Popper for Newsday. The Spurs knocked off the league-best Thunder in their semifinal matchup and have managed to hold onto the fourth-best record in the Western Conference despite battling injuries and having a core group of players that skew very young. Popper suggests that a disappointing performance could give the Knicks an indication heading into trade season that some adjustments to the roster might be needed to secure a spot in the NBA’s upper echelon of contenders.
Yabusele On Limited Knicks Role: ‘It’s Very Difficult’
Guerschon Yabusele‘s first season with the Knicks hasn’t gone the way either side envisioned after the team signed the veteran big man to a two-year, $11.25MM contract over the summer.
After averaging 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists on .501/.380/.725 shooting in 70 games (27.1 minutes per contest) with Philadelphia last season, Yabusele’s numbers have dropped considerably in 2025/26. He’s averaging just 3.0 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 24 appearances (9.8 MPG), with a shooting slash line of .400/.295/.600; more than half of his field goal attempts have been threes.
Prior to Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal against Orlando, Yabusele admitted to a level of frustration with his limited role in a French interview with AFP and Basket USA (story via Ouest-France; hat tip to Nikola Miloradovic of Eurohoops).
“I don’t want to lie to you, it’s very difficult,” Yabusele said. “I’m a competitor first. It’s not a situation I thought (I would be in) coming here.”
Yabusele, who turns 30 years old on Wednesday, played in Europe for several years after a two-season stint with Boston early in his career. He says he’s staying positive despite the difficult circumstances, and credits the Knicks’ supportive locker room for helping him remain upbeat.
“I try to be ready whenever my name is called,” Yabusele said. “I try to control my impact on the court, no matter how much time I get.“
Knicks, Spurs Advance To NBA Cup Final
Behind game highs of 40 points and eight assists from star guard Jalen Brunson, the Knicks defeated the Magic by 12 points on Saturday in Las Vegas to advance to the final of the NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament.
“When you have an MVP of the league candidate in Jalen Brunson, you know, 16-for-27, 40 points, he makes the game easier for everybody,” head coach Mike Brown said, per Vincent Goodwill of ESPN. “That’s what MVPs are supposed to do, and he definitely did that tonight.”
Karl-Anthony Towns (29 points on 9-of-11 shooting, nine rebounds) and OG Anunoby (24 points on 8-of-13 shooting, six rebounds, four assists, three steals) were among the other standouts for New York.
Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 26 points and seven assists, but he was forced to leave the game in the third quarter due to a left hip injury.
The other semifinal matchup featured San Antonio and Oklahoma City. The Spurs emerged with a two-point victory over the defending champions, ending the Thunder’s 16-game winning streak in the process.
As Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com details, while four Spurs finished with 20-plus points, the primary takeaway from the game was the play of big man Victor Wembanyama, who was making his first appearance in a month after missing the past 12 games due to a left calf strain. Coming off the bench for the first time in his career, the French star finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, with San Antonio outscoring OKC by 21 points in his 21 minutes.
“It’s our first time playing [with] everybody [healthy],” Wembanyama said. “We were already a solid team already more than 20 games ago. It’s just experience. We’re just figuring it out. And the difference with us and [Oklahoma City] is we haven’t had this many reps recognizing what it takes to win. And this is our next step.
“This OKC team, they’re not just first in the league. They’re way ahead of everybody. And when you watch them, no matter who, whether it’s the 12th man or the starting five, whether they’re playing against the 15th seed or any kind of game, they’re playing the same way. They’re enjoying the little things that make them win, and this is the next step we have to pass.”
The final between New York and San Antonio will take place Tuesday at 7:30 pm CT in Las Vegas, the NBA announced (via Twitter). Both teams are currently 18-7.
Knicks Notes: Yabusele, Alvarado, Anunoby, Brunson, Magic
Unless Guerschon Yabusele‘s play and role with the Knicks change substantially over the next several weeks, both sides would probably be better off parting ways prior to the February 5 trade deadline, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link).
As Bondy explains, Yabusele was New York’s primary free agent addition over the summer — the team signed the French forward to a two-year, $11.25MM contract using the taxpayer mid-level exception. However, the signing took place prior to the hiring of new head coach Mike Brown, and Yabusele hasn’t fit well in Brown’s fast-paced offensive system.
Yabusele becomes trade-eligible on Monday, and while he wouldn’t be viewed as a positive asset on his own, his salary could be useful for matching purposes, Bondy notes. The Knicks could use a backup point guard, and Bondy cites Jose Alvarado as a player who might fit the team’s needs.
Alvarado, who earns $4.5MM this season with an identical player option for 2026/27, would be a popular name on the market if the Pelicans make him available to trade, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link), who agrees that the Knicks would be among the teams with interest in the New York native.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Forward OG Anunoby has quickly shown his importance to the Knicks after returning from a hamstring strain earlier this month, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. The team has gone 3-0 with Anunoby back in action and is now 76-36 (.679 winning percentage) when the 28-year-old plays during the regular season since his arrival in 2023/24, Schwartz writes, compared to 25-20 (.556) when he has been unavailable. “OG, he was all over the place,” Josh Hart said after Tuesday’s win in Toronto, when Anunoby keyed a second-quarter run. “He really helped start that run and then we were able to get stops, play fast, get out in transition and play to our strength. Huge shoutout to him, really changed the tide of the game.”
- Brown continues to push star guard Jalen Brunson‘s MVP candidacy, as Andrew Crane of The New York Post relays. When asked if Brunson is already among the greatest players in Knicks history, Brown didn’t hesitate to give an affirmative reply. “He’s been here long enough,” Brown said Thursday. “He’s helped them win a lot of games. Obviously, he did start in Dallas, but he was a little younger. It wasn’t his team. He wasn’t really the guy. He came here, it’s his team, he’s the guy here, he’s an MVP candidate, like I said, and so what he’s doing is definitely franchise-altering, and again, that has to be taken note [of]. Not just in the MVP race but also within the community of New York.”
- Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal will mark New York’s fourth matchup with Orlando this season, with the Magic winning the first two contests before the Knicks claimed the third last Sunday, observes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. Saturday could be a potential playoff preview for two teams hoping to come out of the Eastern Conference. “I don’t feel it’s on the rivalry level yet,” Brown said after Thursday’s practice. “It can be in due time, but I don’t think it’s there yet.”
Afseth’s Latest: Mavs, AD, Klay, Giannis, Morant, Kessler, More
Although Dallas’ front office is open to listening to offers on Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and D’Angelo Russell, the Mavericks aren’t “aggressively shopping” any of those four veterans, sources tell Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com.
As Afseth details, rival teams have gotten the impression that the Mavericks are currently evaluating not only their play to this point in the season but also their options on the trade market. They’re viewed as being “opportunistic” instead of a seller, Afseth writes, and whatever moves Dallas makes will be geared toward improving the team’s “long-term outlook.”
According to Afseth, the Mavs want to see Kyrie Irving play alongside Cooper Flagg and believe the star guard can complement the rookie forward and assist in Flagg’s development. Irving’s name is notably not among the aforementioned group.
While the Pistons, Hawks and Raptors are reportedly expected to among the suitors for Davis, sources who spoke to Afseth expressed skepticism about Davis’ fit in Detroit and Atlanta, with Toronto viewed as the best on-court landing spot of the group. Still, as Marc Stein recently reported and Afseth confirms, a Davis trade shouldn’t be viewed as an inevitability.
“The Mavericks are going to want to see how this team looks with AD and Kyrie,” one source told Afseth. “There is no sense in trying to just get rid of AD. The market has to be where they want to make a deal. If there isn’t a good enough deal on the table, I don’t see a deal getting done. They’d get another look at the trade market or evaluate an extension in the summer.”
Here are a few more highlights from Afseth’s rumor round-up:
- While Thompson’s on-court contributions have been up and down during his time in Dallas, he has remained a “positive” presence despite the organizational turmoil following the Luka Doncic trade, Afseth reports. If Dallas does end up having serious discussions about Thompson, the team is expected to be “considerate” of Thompson’s desire to play for a contender, Afseth adds.
- The future of Giannis Antetokounmpo is the biggest storyline on the trade market, but Afseth hears there haven’t been any new developments on that front. Some rival executives still view the Knicks as the favorites to land Antetokounmpo if he’s made available, but the Heat and Spurs are among the other potential suitors for the two-time MVP.
- Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who returned from a 10-game absence on Friday, is not currently available on the trade market, per Afseth. Should that change, the Heat are not viewed as being a strong fit for the two-time All-Star, Afseth continues.
- The Rockets, Timberwolves and Kings are among the teams keeping an eye on point guards ahead of the February 5 deadline, according to Afseth.
- The Pacers have done background work on Jazz center Walker Kessler, according to Afseth, who says Tyrese Haliburton is a fan of the fourth-year big man. Kessler, who is out for the year following shoulder surgery, was seeking $120MM+ on a long-term rookie scale extension before the season began, Afseth reports. Kessler will be a restricted free agent next offseason.
Knicks’ McBride Out At Least One More Week
The Knicks will be without guard Miles McBride for at least another seven days, according to the team, which announced today that McBride will be reevaluated in one week (Twitter link via Andrew Crane of The New York Post).
McBride was injured in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over Orlando when he drove to the net for a layup attempt that was contested by Magic wing Desmond Bane. Both players fell to the court on the play, with Bane’s left foot appearing to come down on McBride’s lower left leg (Twitter video link).
McBride was later diagnosed with a sprained ankle and was ruled out of the team’s NBA Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday. The latest update confirms he’ll also miss a rematch with Orlando in Saturday’s semifinal, as well as the NBA Cup championship game on Tuesday, if the Knicks advance that far.
If New York loses on Saturday, the team will have four days off before facing the Pacers in Indiana next Thursday, buying McBride more recovery time.
McBride, 25, has been an important part of the Knicks’ rotation this fall, starting nine of his 20 outings and averaging career highs in points (11.6), rebounds (2.6), and minutes (27.0) per game, as well as three-point percentage (44.4%).
With McBride out, New York figures to lean more heavily on backcourt reserves Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek behind star point guard Jalen Brunson.
Kerr, Spoelstra, Lue Top List Of NBA’s Highest-Paid Coaches
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is the NBA’s highest-paid head coach, with an average annual value of $17.5MM on his current contract, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. Erik Spoelstra of the Heat and Tyronn Lue of the Clippers round out the top three at $15MM per year, Badenhausen adds.
While Kerr is the highest earner among head coaches in the short term, his deal with Golden State expires at the end of the 2025/26 season, whereas Spoelstra (eight years) and Lue (five years) signed longer-term extensions in 2024, so they’re assured of far more overall guaranteed money.
After that top three, there are several coaches in the range of $11MM annually, per Badenhausen: Doc Rivers of the Bucks, Ime Udoka of the Rockets, Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics, and Rick Carlisle of the Pacers.
The Knicks‘ Mike Brown is the only other coach with an average annual value of at least $10MM, with Mavericks coach Jason Kidd coming in at $9.5MM per year and Lakers coach JJ Redick at $9MM annually.
Interestingly, while Spoelstra, Kerr, and Lue are three of the NBA’s four longest-tenured head coaches, the other member of that group – Billy Donovan of the Bulls, the league’s third longest-tenured coach – doesn’t crack the list of top 10 salaries shared by Badenhausen.
Details on the other 20 NBA head coaches’ contracts aren’t included in Badenhausen’s report, but he notes that the lower end of coaching salaries is approximately $4MM per year. Presumably, that figure applies only to coaches who have the title permanently, rather than assistants who have received in-season promotions and are serving as interim replacements, such as James Borrego in New Orleans or Tiago Splitter in Portland.
For what it’s worth, the NBA’s estimated average salary for players in 2025/26 is $13.87MM, so just three of 30 head coaches are earning more than an average player in the league.