Contract Details: Diawara, Sanders, Shamet, Alvarado, Oubre, More
The Knicks and Clippers used the Non-Bird exception to lock up a pair of restricted free agents who had strong rookie seasons in 2025/26.
Knicks forward Mohamed Diawara and Clippers guard Kobe Sanders received matching $2,622,139 starting salaries on their new four-year contracts with their respective clubs, Hoops Rumors has learned. That figure represents 120% of their minimum salary, which is the maximum allowed using Non-Bird rights.
Besides earning identical first-year salaries, Diawara and Sanders will have essentially the same contract for the next four seasons. Both players got two fully guaranteed seasons, a non-guaranteed third year, and a fourth-year team option, with a total value of $11,279,212 on each deal.
Here are a few more details on recently signed contracts from around the NBA:
- The exact value of Landry Shamet‘s new four-year deal with the Knicks is $23,978,467, with a starting salary of $5,490,967. After two fully guaranteed seasons, the partial guarantee on year three (2028/29) is worth $1,581,241, with a partial guarantee of $1,690,292 on Shamet’s fourth-year player option for 2029/30.
- Meanwhile, Jose Alvarado‘s new three-year contract with the Knicks has an overall value of $14,384,484, including a 2026/27 cap hit of $4,439,656. Alvarado’s third-year salary of $5.15MM is partially guaranteed for $2,765,516.
- The Pacers‘ used $8.05MM of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Kelly Oubre Jr. to a two-year, $16.5MM contract. Indiana still has nearly $7MM left on its mid-level exception, though the team now faces a first-apron hard cap for the rest of the league year.
- As expected, the Wizards are maxing out the money left on their Kelly Olynyk trade exception to give Khris Middleton a guaranteed 2026/27 salary of $5,591,112 via sign-and-trade. Middleton, whose three-year contract is worth a total of $17,612,034, has a partial guarantee on year two worth $908,878.
- John Collins‘ new three-year, $51MM contract with the Pistons has a flat structure, with annual cap hits of $17MM. Only the first season is fully guaranteed for now, but Collins can lock in the subsequent salaries if he remains under contract through June 28 of each year.
Free Agent Notes: DeRozan, Harden, Warriors, Value Deals
Veteran forward DeMar DeRozan is on track to clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday, but his next destination remains an open question.
A Los Angeles native, DeRozan has long been linked to the NBA’s two L.A. teams, but according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link), the Lakers aren’t viewed as potential landing spot at this point. Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link) has suggested he doesn’t believe the Clippers will be a suitor for DeRozan either.
As of mid-Monday afternoon, the Heat hadn’t been in touch with DeRozan, though Miami would be among the teams of interest to the 36-year-old, a source tells Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Heat and other teams still in in the mix for LeBron James may turn to DeRozan as a Plan B, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, who said during an appearance on SportsCenter (Twitter video link) that the Warriors are expected to “look into” the 17-year veteran, especially if they miss out on James.
Here are a few more notes and rumors related to free agency:
- Within a story about LeBron’s potential landing spots, Joe Vardon of The Athletic suggests that the Cavaliers and James Harden have essentially already agreed to a framework and dollar amount for a new contract and are waiting to see what happens with LeBron before determining whether Harden’s salary will be spread across two years or three.
- Although the Warriors were among the teams to express interest in free agents Rui Hachimura and Anfernee Simons, they weren’t prepared to meet the price point for either player, Slater writes for ESPN. Hachimura signed a two-year, $28MM deal with the Clippers, while Simons received a two-year, $12.3MM deal from the Sixers. The Warriors likely could’ve matched that Simons contract if they chose not to bring back De’Anthony Melton, Slater notes, but sources tell ESPN the front office preferred Melton due to a belief that he’s a better backcourt fit when the roster is fully healthy, based on his versatility and his perimeter defense.
- Fred Katz of The Athletic identifies some of the best value signings teams have made in free agency so far, singling out the Rockets with Tari Eason, the Knicks with Landry Shamet, and the Heat with Tim Hardaway Jr.
Atlantic Notes: Leonard, Shamet, Wolf, Nnaji
Seven years separate Kawhi Leonard raising the Larry O’Brien trophy during Toronto’s championship parade and the Raptors reunion that few saw coming. After all, the first go-round with Leonard was always considered destined to be a short-term relationship, Josh Lewenberg writes for TSN.
When rumors began to circulate about Leonard’s interest in returning to Toronto, many around the league viewed it as a ploy to use the Raptors’ desire to ascend back to championship relevance in order to leverage a richer extension from the Clippers, Lewenberg writes.
Now he’s back, and for a steeper price than they paid to bring him to Canada the first time. The Raptors consider their medical staff the best in the league and are counting on it to keep Leonard on the court, not just this season, but in the years to come as well, according to Lewenberg.
It’s expected that the two sides will reach a two-year extension that would be worth around $125MM, Michael Grange writes for Sportsnet. It’s a risk, but so was standing pat with a roster that wasn’t good enough to be a contender in the suddenly loaded East, Grange notes. Leonard will force the team to accelerate its timeline, and with it, the development of cornerstone Scottie Barnes, among others. In a way, the Raptors will learn more about their young players than they would’ve with a slow and steady growth plan.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Landry Shamet‘s partnership with the Knicks hardly got off to what announcer Walt Frazier would call “an auspicious start,” with a dislocated shoulder preventing him from getting into a rhythm and climbing the depth chart. His second year with the team had a different feel though, with the journeyman guard hitting six threes and scoring 36 points in his 12th game of the season. It was a huge moment for a player whose NBA career was in serious jeopardy, Jared Schwartz writes for The New York Post. Shamet was the last player to make the Knicks’ 2025/26 roster and was initially considered in competition with Garrison Mathews for the final spot. Through the ups and downs, the Knicks and Shamet stayed closely tied, and the relationship resulted in a championship and a new four-year, $24MM deal for the veteran wing.
- The Nets‘ frontcourt has been in flux this offseason. They’re sending out Nic Claxton in a trade that will return three-time All-Star power forward Julius Randle, and they’ve agreed to sign Moritz Wagner to a two-year contract in free agency. It remains to be seen what it all means for second-year power forward Danny Wolf, who – prior to the Wagner deal – seemed poised to step into the backup five role behind the returning Day’Ron Sharpe, according to Brian Lewis of the Post. Wolf has spent the early part of the offseason working on getting stronger in order to battle with the big men of the league. “Starting with my body getting stronger or getting quicker, getting my ankle right. And just even playing now, I’ve never felt more in control or on balance or stronger,” the 22-year-old said. “And then with that, I’d say my finishing and my 3-point consistency. And I’m shooting the best I’ve shot it, and I feel like I’m finishing the best I’ve finished. So, just gotta keep at it. But I know I’m nowhere near where I want to be.” Wolf developed a good relationship with Jordi Fernandez in his rookie year, as the Nets’ head coach valued his versatility and played him all over the floor. It remains to be seen how he’ll be used in the new-look rotation.
- The fact that the Knicks hold the draft rights to James Nnaji, who played for them in the 2025 Summer League, didn’t prevent the 21-year-old big man from playing at Baylor University last season in what turned out to be a trailblazing move. Now, Nnaji is set to spend another season playing college basketball, having committed to George Mason University for 2026/27, DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony reports (via Twitter). Nnaji struggled to make an impact for Baylor last season, averaging just 1.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game.
Knicks, Landry Shamet Finalize Four-Year Deal
July 6: Shamet’s new four-year contract with New York is official, per a press release from the team (Twitter link).
“We are thrilled to have Landry back with our organization,” president Leon Rose said in a statement. “His shooting, defensive versatility, and willingness to do whatever the team needs made him an invaluable part of our championship success last season. We are excited to continue this journey together.”
According to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link), the last two years of the deal are partially guaranteed, with a player option on year four. Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link) specifies that the third season includes a $1.6MM guarantee, with a $1.7MM guarantee on the fourth-year option if it’s exercised.
June 29: The Knicks and free agent guard Landry Shamet have reached an agreement on a four-year, $24MM deal that will see Shamet remain with the defending champions, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Shamet, who has spent most of the past two seasons with the Knicks on minimum-salary contracts, returned from a shoulder injury to this winter and appeared in 51 regular season games for the team, averaging 9.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 23.0 minutes per game.
Shamet has been a reliable three-point threat for the Knicks since the start of the 2024/25 season, knocking down 39.4% of his outside shots. He was even better during New York’s title run this spring, making 29-of-61 three-point tries (47.5%) in 19 appearances off the bench.
When Knicks owner James Dolan declared shortly after his team won a title that he had no intention of operating in the second tax apron in 2026/27, it raised some questions about whether the team would be able to bring back a handful of important role players, including Shamet. According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), Shamet was expected to receive bigger offers on the open market, but opted to re-sign with the Knicks and try to defend their title.
While Shamet likely could’ve secured a larger per-year salary from a rival suitor, the four years on his new deal with the Knicks ensure that he’ll lock in a significant amount of overall guaranteed money, giving him some long-term security on the heels of multiple veteran’s minimum deals.
It appears increasingly likely that backup center Mitchell Robinson will depart in free agency unless Dolan has a change of heart about going into second-apron territory, but the Knicks have done well to retain Mohamed Diawara, Jose Alvarado, and now Shamet before free agency officially opens on Tuesday. As cap expert Yossi Gozlan lays out (via Twitter), the club remains in position to be below the second apron by filling out its roster with minimum-salary players.
Free Agent Rumors: Shamet, Wade, Bagley, Williams, Landale
While he doesn’t specify any teams, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype states that “numerous” clubs are expected to have interest in Knicks wing Landry Shamet if he reaches the open market on Tuesday.
As Scotto writes, New York is considered unlikely to re-sign Shamet and Mitchell Robinson if owner James Dolan maintains his edict of being unwilling to surpass the second tax apron.
Shamet is “beloved” by head coach Mike Brown and the Knicks’ front office, per Scotto, but rival teams are “salivating” at potentially being able to sign him away from the defending champions.
Scotto hears backup center Robinson, another unrestricted free agent, is expected to receive contract offers for the full mid-level exception or “slightly higher.” The full MLE projects to start at $15MM next season and is worth up to $64.7MM over four years.
Here are a few more free agent rumors, courtesy of Scotto:
- The Cavaliers, Sixers, Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Pistons and Trail Blazers are among the teams interested in signing free agent forward Dean Wade, who has spent the past seven season in Cleveland, league sources tell HoopsHype. Known as a strong, versatile defender at 6’9″, Wade has converted 36.7% of his career three-point attempts, Scotto notes. New Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, Cleveland’s longtime former general manager, played a key role in the Cavs signing Wade as an undrafted free agent in 2019, Scotto observes.
- Mavericks big man Marvin Bagley III is another player who’s expected to have a robust market in free agency, according to Scotto, who says the former No. 2 overall pick is expected to land a contract in the range of the taxpayer mid-level exception ($6.2MM per year).
- The Suns, Warriors, Celtics and Mavericks are among the teams expected to show interest in free agent guard Brandon Williams, Scotto reports. The 26-year-old, who has spent the past three seasons in Dallas, put up the best numbers of his career in 2025/26, averaging 13.0 points, 3.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 66 games (22.2 minutes per contest). As Brian Robb of MassLive notes, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens indicated after Boston was eliminated from the playoffs that the team could be in the market for a player with “speed on the perimeter,” and Williams would fit that bill.
- The Hawks are interested in re-signing veteran center Jock Landale, but they’ll have competition for his services if they can’t strike a deal before Tuesday, according to Scotto, who identifies the Bulls, Lakers, Clippers, Sixers and Cavaliers as potential suitors. The Australian big man is expected to receive offers that exceed the bi-annual exception ($11.2MM over two years), Scotto adds.
Knicks Notes: Second Apron, Dadiet, Kayil, Rose
The Knicks‘ front office would prefer to operate above the second tax apron in 2026/27 if it allows the team to avoid losing key role players, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. However, team owner James Dolan doesn’t share that view, having made it clear that he adamantly opposes being a second-apron team — and so far he hasn’t changed his mind, according to Katz.
Due to their existing salary commitments and the additional salaries they’ll need to take on to fill out the rest of their roster, the Knicks will almost certainly be a first-apron team going forward, which carries its own set of roster-building restrictions, including not being able to acquire a player via sign-and-trade, not having access to the bi-annual exception, only being able to use the taxpayer portion of the mid-level exception (approximately $6MM next season), not being able to take back more than 100% of outgoing players’ salaries in a trade, and not being able to use trade exceptions generated during the previous season.
A team operating above the second apron faces most of those same restrictions in addition to not being able to use any portion of the mid-level exception, not being able to aggregate player salaries in a trade, not being able to send out cash in a trade, and not being able to take back salary using a signed-and-traded player for matching purposes.
However, there’s nothing stopping second-apron teams from re-signing their own free agents using various forms of Bird rights. As Katz outlines, if they insist on staying below the second apron, the Knicks will almost certainly lose reserve center Mitchell Robinson, assuming he’s not willing to accept a very team-friendly deal to return. It would also likely be tricky for the club to bring back more than one of Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado.
While it makes sense for certain teams to want to avoid the second apron, the Knicks are coming off a title and losing some of the players who played important roles in the NBA Finals run would arguably hurt their chances of repeating as champions more than the second-apron restrictions would. According to Katz, it’s unclear if Dolan is using a “one-size-fits-all logic” in his approach to the second apron or if he’s reluctant to pay a far more significant tax bill to keep the roster intact.
For what it’s worth, during the radio appearance in which Dolan laid out his approach to the aprons, he stated, “I’ll write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron.”
We have more on the Knicks:
- Within a story about the Knicks’ apron situation, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required) cites sources who say the Knicks are still optimistic about Pacome Dadiet‘s potential even though he has barely played during his first two seasons. The 2024 first-round pick has logged 247 total minutes across 47 regular season outings since joining the team.
- German guard Jack Kayil indicated after being selected by the Knicks on Wednesday that he’s not interested in spending the 2026/27 season as a draft-and-stash prospect, according to Michael Blinn of The New York Post. “My plans are to stay here and get into the organization and keep going with them,” Kayil told reporters. Signing Kayil to a contract that starts at the rookie minimum could be a step toward helping New York manage its cap situation.
- Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose hardly ever speaks publicly, but he made an exception this week to appear on the Roommates Show podcast (YouTube link) with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. Jared Schwartz of The New York Post shares some of the highlights from that podcast appearance, including Rose’s thoughts on last year’s coaching change, the importance of the mid-season Alvarado addition, and why it bothered him that so much criticism was aimed at Mikal Bridges.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Celtics, Embiid, Sixers
Knicks owner James Dolan‘s comments about looking to avoid the second apron have raised eyebrows around the league, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who notes that while the penalties for going into the second apron are indeed onerous, teams with the ability to win the championship should be more open to operating in that range.
Six players from this year’s championship team will be free agents this summer: Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson, Ariel Hukporti, Mohamed Diawara, and Jeremy Sochan. Edwards predicts that Diawara will be back next season after a strong rookie year, but the futures of others – especially New York’s two highest-profile free agents, Robinson and Shamet – are less clear.
Jose Alvarado picking up his $4.5MM player option would further tighten the financial picture, which is why Edwards speculates that the New York native could decline his option and re-sign on a multiyear deal with a lower starting salary. Ultimately, Dolan’s edict suggests that one or both of Robinson or Shamet won’t back next season, unless the team trades a player already on a guaranteed deal — or the Knicks owner changes his mind about surpassing the second apron.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics are widely reported to be involved in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes, but they need to decide if such a significant pivot is really their best path, writes The Athletic’s Jay King. On one hand, Jaylen Brown is coming off the best individual season of his career and is still under 30 years old, and trading for stars on the wrong side of 30 can be a risky proposition. On the other hand, trading Brown now could be seen as selling high on the talented forward coming off his second All-NBA season. As King details, Boston would also have to decide how much it values young prospects such as Hugo Gonzalez, who showed great promise this season but doesn’t project to offer anything close to the kind of immediate value Antetokounmpo would provide.
- Given his contract and injury history, the Sixers are unlikely to be able to move Joel Embiid in the foreseeable future and will have to accept the former MVP’s belief that he and the team’s medical staff have figured out a viable plan to manage his knee issues, Gina Mizell writes in a mailbag for the Philly Inquirer. Mizell also notes that playing Embiid alongside another big man, perhaps Adem Bona, could be one way to protect the veteran center, similar to how the Spurs sometimes played Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet together in the regular season.
- The good news is that when Embiid played for the Sixers this season, he looked nearly as good as ever, at least on the offensive side of the floor, Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview for Spotrac. Paul George also had strong stretches of strong play after his return from suspension. However, the team’s options to add quality depth this summer are limited, and it’s likely that they pick up three players on team options, bring back one of Kelly Oubre Jr. or Quentin Grimes, and fill out their remaining roster spots with veteran minimum deals.
Knicks Owner Dolan Determined To Avoid Second Tax Apron
Fresh off the franchise’s first title in 53 years, Knicks owner James Dolan said in a radio interview that he wants to avoid the second tax apron for the 2026/27 season.
Speaking on WFAN’s The Carton Show (Twitter video link), Dolan said it would “suicidal” for the franchise to become a second apron club.
“If we could bring back the whole team, exactly as it is, why wouldn’t you? But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to,” he said. “We’re willing to stretch, but there’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do and we’re not going to do those. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron. … I’ll write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron.”
If that’s the case, the Knicks will have some hard decisions to make this offseason. Topped by Karl-Anthony Towns‘ $57MM contract for next season, the Knicks have approximately $201MM tied into eight guaranteed salary commitments. Most of that total is invested in starters Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, all of whom remain under contract for multiple seasons.
Several key reserves are headed to free agency though, and while there are no cap rules prohibiting the Knicks from re-signing any of them, it will almost certainly be impossible to keep them all without going over the second tax apron.
Jose Alvarado holds a $4.5MM player option on his contract — if he exercises it, that would add to the Knicks’ guaranteed salary total. Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson are headed to unrestricted free agency, while Mohamed Diawara and Ariel Hukporti will become restricted free agents at the end of the month if they’re issued qualifying offers.
A new market-value contract for Robinson alone could push the Knicks close to or into the second apron, which is projected at $221.7MM for next season. Retaining Alvarado, Robinson and Shamet would push them further above that threshold, and they’d still have to fill out the remainder of the roster.
Re-signing Diawara could also be difficult if another team aggressively pursues him, since the Knicks only hold his Non-Bird rights after he earned the minimum as a rookie. Diawara appeared in 69 regular season games, though he had a minimal role in the postseason.
What Dolan didn’t clarify was whether he wanted to avoid the second apron due to its roster-building restrictions or to keep the payroll under control. However, to avoid that apron the Knicks would more than likely need to fill most of their bench with players on veteran’s minimum deals and rookie contracts.
The restrictions for teams operating over the second apron include not being allowed to use any portion of the mid-level exception, aggregate two or more player salaries in a trade, send out cash as part of a trade, or acquire a player via trade by using a signed-and-traded player for salary-matching purposes. Teams that finish the season above the second apron also have their first-round pick in the draft seven years away “frozen” — that pick would not be tradable unless the club spent enough subsequent seasons out of second apron territory.
Knicks Notes: Offseason, Bridges, Hart, Evans, Smith
The Knicks are still enjoying the honeymoon period following the franchise’s first title since 1973, but it won’t be long before the front office has to start making big decisions on some of the contributors who played key roles during the championship run.
As Jake Nisse of The New York Post writes, while New York’s entire starting lineup is under contract for 2026/27, a few key reserves are hitting free agency, and the team figures to prioritize center Mitchell Robinson and wing Landry Shamet, along with rookie forward Mohamed Diawara.
However, the Knicks project to operate in first tax apron territory even without those players under contract, so re-signing them would almost certainly make New York a second apron team. That would prohibit the club from aggregating salaries in trades or signing outside free agents for more than the veteran’s minimum, among other restrictions.
Figuring out an extension for starting center Karl-Anthony Towns also figures to be an offseason priority, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes within his preview of the team’s summer. While Towns had an up-and-down season and posted his lowest scoring average (20.1 PPG) since his rookie year, he proved his value during the playoffs by making a significant impact on both ends of the floor.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Mikal Bridges was a frequent target for criticism over the last couple seasons due to his inconsistent offensive production after the Knicks gave up five first-round picks to trade for him, so it’s no surprise that the team’s championship appeared to take a weight off his shoulders, writes Howie Kussoy of The New York Post. “F–k them picks” was an oft-repeated mantra by Bridges and his teammates in the wake of Saturday’s Game 5 win. “F–k ’em,” teammate Ariel Hukporti said. “Look what we got … We got him out of Brooklyn. Look at him now, you’re a champion. Look at him now.”
- Josh Hart‘s ability to make an impact without scoring – and his willingness to accept that role – makes him the sort of player that every team with championship aspirations could use, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “Everybody wants to be the guy that scores the most, that puts the ball in the basket, and that’s not everybody’s path,” Hart said. “That wasn’t my path, and sometimes that’s a tough pill to swallow, but when you embrace that, when you’re a star in your role. You take pride in doing the little things, that breeds winning basketball. For me, as embraced as I was in this city, wearing this jersey, that sacrifice was easy. Some days, it was tough, don’t get me wrong. But you sacrifice for moments like this.”
- Duke’s Isaiah Evans was among the prospects who took part in a group workout with the Knicks shortly after they returned home from San Antonio, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Evans, the 24th-ranked player on ESPN’s big board, could be in play for New York with the No. 24 or No. 31 pick in next week’s draft.
- While letting Jalen Brunson get away in free agency in 2022 was the most obvious way in which the Mavericks and former general manager Nico Harrison helped aid the Knicks’ championship run, New York also benefited from Dallas’ decision to part ways with “injury-prevention mastermind” Casey Smith, writes Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports. As Haberstroh details, the Knicks have been much healthier in general since hiring Smith as their VP of sports medicine in 2024 after he was let go by the Mavs. OG Anunoby, who was out for two games in the second round due to a mild hamstring strain, was the only Knicks regular to miss any time with an injury during the team’s title run this spring.
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Shamet, Brunson, Giannis, Sochan
Now that the Knicks have their first NBA title in 53 years, it may take a summer of big spending to keep the team intact, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. The starters are all under contract for next season, but bringing back key members of the bench unit, which played an important role during the championship run, could require moving into the second apron.
New York currently has eight players signed for 2026/27, and Jose Alvarado holds a $4.5MM player option. If he picks that up and the Knicks keep the 24th pick in the draft, their team salary will rise to about $209MM, which is roughly $13MM away from second apron territory.
The most pressing decisions involve backup center Mitchell Robinson and reserve guard Landry Shamet. Schwartz notes that Robinson was able to stay healthy during the regular season and has been a steady backup for Karl-Anthony Towns who would be hard to replace if he leaves in free agency. However, he was less effective during the NBA Finals as he was dealing with a broken bone in his hand, and his poor free throw shooting often forced him to be removed from games.
Shamet was a huge bargain on a veteran’s minimum contract and will be seeking a better deal this offseason. He’ll likely get some interest around the league after shooting 47.5% from three-point range during the playoffs.
“That’s the best feeling in the world to see somebody that deserves an opportunity and maybe gets passed over, passed over, passed over,” coach Mike Brown said of Shamet. “Now, on one of the biggest stages in the game of his craft, he steps up, he shows the world, ‘I can do this.’ I mean, it makes you feel really, really good to see that because he went and he earned it.”
There’s more from New York:
- Jalen Brunson has a case to be considered the greatest Knick of all time after delivering a title and being named Finals MVP, states James L. Edwards of The Athletic. Brown endorsed that designation after the Game 5 win, saying, “I love (Patrick Ewing), and I hope he doesn’t kill me … he’s bigger than me, but we’re both old and slow, but Jalen Brunson is HIM when it comes to New York basketball. He is freaking HIM.” Ian O’Connor of The Athletic doesn’t expect the doubts about Brunson to go away and looks at how he’ll use them to drive his championship pursuit again next season.
- The Knicks’ roster was nearly broken up before it had the chance to compete for a title. Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed a desire to play in New York last summer, and sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPN that the team had legitimate interest in making a deal. “I don’t think Milwaukee was really serious about trading him,” a source with knowledge of the discussions said. “But if they had been willing to trade him, the Knicks would’ve traded for him.”
- Jeremy Sochan nearly doubled his salary by being part of a championship team, according to BasketNews. Knicks players each received a bonus of about $770K from this year’s playoff pool, and Sochan was making $806K after signing with New York in February.