nycericanguy wrote:I'd be very surprised if Alvarado opted out, he's living his dream right now and he's unlikely to get much more than 4.5m anyway.

If he can get a 3 year deal even at the same rate he would have to take it. Even a 2 year deal depending on what the money is. He can't risk opting in then getting injured and now he's a vet min player or his career is in jeopardy all together with no financial backing. Unlike Jordan Clarkson who has made $139mil in his career so could gamble signing for vet min with the Knicks. Jose could always come back as a vet min player after he secures what will probably be his last decent contract.

nycericanguy wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

nycericanguy wrote:I'd be very surprised if Alvarado opted out, he's living his dream right now and he's unlikely to get much more than 4.5m anyway.

If he can get a 3 year deal even at the same rate he would have to take it. Even a 2 year deal depending on what the money is. He can't risk opting in then getting injured and now he's a vet min player or his career is in jeopardy all together with no financial backing. Unlike Jordan Clarkson who has made $139mil in his career so could gamble signing for vet min with the Knicks. Jose could always come back as a vet min player after he secures what will probably be his last decent contract.

i can see him opting out if we offer him a longer term deal at about same price, I just dont see him opting out to test the market and potentially leave his dream. he must be on top of the world right now.

Good point that he would need to opt out and test the market. Which may not allow him to accurately see what deals are out there for him. Though i'm sure his agent would have some idea to be able to guide him.

nycericanguy wrote:i can see him opting out if we offer him a longer term deal at about same price, I just dont see him opting out to test the market and potentially leave his dream. he must be on top of the world right now.

Doing the rough math in my head, factoring in age and Alvarado's playoff production, and players with similar skill sets against market, I'd say a rough approximate of current market value for AAV for Alvarado would be about 9 million.

With a "hometown discount", it would be professional malpractice for any agent to tell Alvarado to accept anything less than 8 million a year AAV with New York.

I'm not saying that's where I would personally gauge Alvarado's value, nor am I saying I'd give it to him. I am saying with some moderate market corrections given the current CBA and trend lines, that it's what his league value will fall towards.

Any representation firm that would advise Alvarado to take that 4.5 player option? They should find the guys who gave that advise, take them into a cornfield, beat them with bats and bury them alive. Sorry guys, Alvarado at 4.5 is not going to happen unless Brock Aller has secret Polaroids of Alvarado, Obi Toppin, two goats, some coconut oil and a turkey baster.

On the slim chance that Alvarado takes the 4.5, it's great for the Knicks, but his agent should dump him. Being associated with being that far off market value can kill an entire agency.

Here's what I will say - The Knicks need to give Brunson some practical relief this upcoming season. They cannot keep leaning on him as they did this past season and hope to repeat for a ring. They need someone who can run the offense and keep pressure up against other teams while Brunson rests. On the flip side, Brunson seems to thrive on what people tell him cannot be done. That being said, there is only so much attrition you can throw on one person before they break. I don't think you can break Brunson's willpower, but his body is a different story.

IMHO, Alvarado would be very helpful, but I don't think he's worth 8 million AAV in this circumstance.

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://www.twitter.com/JakeLFischer/status/2069153397840953578

Knixkik wrote:

PatCummings wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

PatCummings wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

nycericanguy wrote:

PatCummings wrote:

nycericanguy wrote:

PatCummings wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

Alpha1971 wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

DLeethal wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

DLeethal wrote:Knicks only one 53 games last year and as someone already said Landry was really the only guy off the bench who made a sizeable impact for the playoff run. I don’t see why we can’t retool the bench and win more games and match bench success in the playoffs next year. Whether we win again or not is not really gonna be hinged on the bench.

That was me.

We went on our epic playoff run because of our starters and Shamet.

Everyone else on the roster played a provisional role at various moments, but nobody else was consistently a core element of the giant uptick in production after Game 4 in the ATL series.

The ability to repeat is going to hinge on the starting five's continued harmonization more than anything else. Considering how the team didn't truly click until the playoffs, there is reason to believe they can continue to learn more about how to play off each other to actually improve as a starting unit.

There is continued upside to the starters, particularly KAT and OG who have evolved the most this season and may not be done doing so.

The ability to retool by moving the pipeline players into the rotation and drafting well should strengthen the team while managing cap considerations.

If MO, McCullars, Kolek and maybe Dadiet deliver on their potential they are collectively a step up from Clarkson, Alvarado and Deuce as whole.

Mitch and Shamet are to me the only question marks. Everyone else can be replaced with our pipeline and the draft.

Mitch can be replaced. I'd like him to stay, but if re-signing him makes it hard to sign Mo and Shamet than I'd draft bigs and let him go. Maybe Huk stays as part of the Center depth.

Shamet is the one bench player I'd priortize retaining. The guy is a winner.

And Diawara is the one young player you have to figure out how to retain due to his potential all-star talent.

If it came down to Diawara vs. Shamet, I'd have to prioritize locking down Mo. His upside is that big.

I completely agree. Shamet is most replaceable. Mitch is a difference maker, a guy we can throw on the top tier Cs in the league and a weapon off the bench nobody else has. You’d like the keep him and draft a reserve that’s better than Hukporti. But fact is Mitch barely contributed to a championship run. That shows we don’t NEED him to be successful.

Mo is the guy we can’t lose. His ceiling is too high and he brings a rare element and loads of lineup flexibility if he becomes an every night guy off the bench. He’s also a piece that can keep us contending past the 2 year window if he pans out.

We can’t lose Mo for sure. He offers the wide range of outcomes and upside. As far as Mitch vs Shamet, I hate to say I’d probably prefer to keep shamet if I had to choose. He’s going to be cheaper. And he’s proven that he can play big minutes in the playoffs. For all of Mitch’s unique talent, it’s hard to play him more than 15 mpg due to the intentional fouling. He just can’t stay on the floor. Shamet can play 30 mpg in a finals game. Mitch can’t. But even so, I want to keep everyone.

contractually we are limited to what we can offer MO. Mo if offered more then what we are allowed to offer would have to choose to take less to remain. Let's hope the glow of the championship, team friendships, and promise of continued development behind OG and Hart helps him choose to remain.

Knicks can match any offer. Max a team can offer Mo is the full mid level of $15mil. But that would be insane for a team to offer that. Especially in this salary cap environment.

Actually this is only half-correct. Here’s the dilemma;
Knicks can only offer him a starting salary of 2.7M if they go over the second apron. Anything over 2.7M they would have to use an exception to sign him. If they use an exception, they are hard-capped at the second apron. So if you are resigning both Mitch and shamet, you better hope Diawara is cool with about 3M per year. If not, it’s essentially a decision between Mo and Mitch. So while we can technically match any realistic offer, it’s really difficult to do so.

According to Gemini, we can only pay him $1.5M, not $2.7M

Key Clarification on Diawara’s Contract

2025-26 Salary: $1,272,870 (Standard rookie minimum contract). 
Contract Status: He is a restricted free agent (RFA) entering the 2026 summer. 
Rights Held: You hold Non-Bird rights on him. 

What this means for your 2026-27 offer:
Because he earned $1,272,870 this past year, your Non-Bird re-signing capacity is strictly capped at 120% of his previous salary:
$1,272,870 × 1.20 = $1,527,444

This is the absolute maximum starting salary you can offer him using the Non-Bird exception.

The "Exception" Hierarchy

To pay a player more than the minimum or more than his Non-Bird maximum, you must use a designated cap exception (like the Mid-Level Exception). However, you cannot use the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (TMLE) if you are over the second apron. 

The Hard Cap Trap
Even if you tried to sign Diawara before crossing the second apron:

If you used the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (TMLE) to sign him, your team would become hard-capped at the second apron.

This means you would be legally forbidden from exceeding that $222M line for the rest of the season.

truth be told lots of guys that did what MO did get just that or less, so there's hope to keep all 3. even if we can only offer $1.5m, can we give him a PO for 2nd year where he gets another $1.8m or so guaranteed or can opt out and get a bigger deal from us?

even if we don't resign Mitch and give MO a bigger deal, the hard cap could be a huge issue.

Mo is really unique as a 6’9” wing with a 7’4” wingspan who came out of nowhere to shoot well from 3 pt. But yes, we can SIGNIFICANTLY increase his salary after he completes his second year with us. Even if we’re over the 2nd apron we can pay him up to 105% of the league average which is $15M

If anyone can sell him on that it’s Leon, right?

also interesting to note that he made an extra $1.3m in bonuses last season.

Could probably sell him on 1.5 + 1.8 PO next season = guaranteed $3.3m + potential bonus money. And a bigger role/bigger payday in a year.

He’s a restricted FA so we can offer more than 1.5M. Knicks can offer him a regular minimum contract which goes up to around 2.6-2.7M. The 1.5M would be if they could only offer him the 20% increase which isn’t the case here. He can earn a regular minimum contract equivalent to his years of service. But obviously that’s if the Knicks are committed to going over the second apron. If they don’t, they can give him more.

Never fully trust AI!

Turns out the min 2nd year salary is $2.18M

Heres a source (assuming it’s accurate)

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2025/08/early-nba-minimum-salary-projections-for-2026-27.html

So it’s that figure plus the 20%. That’s where the 2.7M comes from.

The $2.7M would apply to the 27/28 season, but there are other options to pay him more after he completes his second season with us. For this season he’d be at the $2.1M vet min.

This is from the Knicks Film School

———-
Right now, if any team offers Mo anything more than the raise he could get from New York via non-Bird rights (translation: $2.6 million), the Knicks could not functionally match that offer sheet and go above the second apron. The reason is because they only have one pathway to match an offer starting above $2.6 million, and that is to use their taxpayer MLE, but any team that uses its taxpayer MLE is hard capped at the second apron and cannot cross it.
———-

My math had it at 2.7M, but regardless, the 2.6 represents the vet minimum for a player with 1 year experience plus the 20% raise. We are splitting hairs here, but regardless, the number the Knicks have to play with is low and he’s a major flight risk if Mitch and Shamet are both resigned.

Yeah, that's the clincher. I had forgotten about the hard cap at second apron and access to the MLE to resign Mo. Dangit

Panos wrote:

DLeethal wrote:

nycericanguy wrote:I'd be very surprised if Alvarado opted out, he's living his dream right now and he's unlikely to get much more than 4.5m anyway.

Me too, but his best chance at a payday is right now. Same goes for Landry. Some guys take that over everything else.

Am I the only one hoping either for an upgrade over GTAvocado or that Kolek somehow grows into the roll?

GTA is getting overrated atm coming off a championship. He was very helpful in key games in the playoffs, but he was also ineffective in just as many games during the playoffs.

I have no idea what the FO intends for him, but my hope all along is Kolek is next up to the plate, but I have no certainty there either.

Knixkik wrote:

PatCummings wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

PatCummings wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

nycericanguy wrote:

PatCummings wrote:

nycericanguy wrote:

PatCummings wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

Alpha1971 wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

DLeethal wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

DLeethal wrote:Knicks only one 53 games last year and as someone already said Landry was really the only guy off the bench who made a sizeable impact for the playoff run. I don’t see why we can’t retool the bench and win more games and match bench success in the playoffs next year. Whether we win again or not is not really gonna be hinged on the bench.

That was me.

We went on our epic playoff run because of our starters and Shamet.

Everyone else on the roster played a provisional role at various moments, but nobody else was consistently a core element of the giant uptick in production after Game 4 in the ATL series.

The ability to repeat is going to hinge on the starting five's continued harmonization more than anything else. Considering how the team didn't truly click until the playoffs, there is reason to believe they can continue to learn more about how to play off each other to actually improve as a starting unit.

There is continued upside to the starters, particularly KAT and OG who have evolved the most this season and may not be done doing so.

The ability to retool by moving the pipeline players into the rotation and drafting well should strengthen the team while managing cap considerations.

If MO, McCullars, Kolek and maybe Dadiet deliver on their potential they are collectively a step up from Clarkson, Alvarado and Deuce as whole.

Mitch and Shamet are to me the only question marks. Everyone else can be replaced with our pipeline and the draft.

Mitch can be replaced. I'd like him to stay, but if re-signing him makes it hard to sign Mo and Shamet than I'd draft bigs and let him go. Maybe Huk stays as part of the Center depth.

Shamet is the one bench player I'd priortize retaining. The guy is a winner.

And Diawara is the one young player you have to figure out how to retain due to his potential all-star talent.

If it came down to Diawara vs. Shamet, I'd have to prioritize locking down Mo. His upside is that big.

I completely agree. Shamet is most replaceable. Mitch is a difference maker, a guy we can throw on the top tier Cs in the league and a weapon off the bench nobody else has. You’d like the keep him and draft a reserve that’s better than Hukporti. But fact is Mitch barely contributed to a championship run. That shows we don’t NEED him to be successful.

Mo is the guy we can’t lose. His ceiling is too high and he brings a rare element and loads of lineup flexibility if he becomes an every night guy off the bench. He’s also a piece that can keep us contending past the 2 year window if he pans out.

We can’t lose Mo for sure. He offers the wide range of outcomes and upside. As far as Mitch vs Shamet, I hate to say I’d probably prefer to keep shamet if I had to choose. He’s going to be cheaper. And he’s proven that he can play big minutes in the playoffs. For all of Mitch’s unique talent, it’s hard to play him more than 15 mpg due to the intentional fouling. He just can’t stay on the floor. Shamet can play 30 mpg in a finals game. Mitch can’t. But even so, I want to keep everyone.

contractually we are limited to what we can offer MO. Mo if offered more then what we are allowed to offer would have to choose to take less to remain. Let's hope the glow of the championship, team friendships, and promise of continued development behind OG and Hart helps him choose to remain.

Knicks can match any offer. Max a team can offer Mo is the full mid level of $15mil. But that would be insane for a team to offer that. Especially in this salary cap environment.

Actually this is only half-correct. Here’s the dilemma;
Knicks can only offer him a starting salary of 2.7M if they go over the second apron. Anything over 2.7M they would have to use an exception to sign him. If they use an exception, they are hard-capped at the second apron. So if you are resigning both Mitch and shamet, you better hope Diawara is cool with about 3M per year. If not, it’s essentially a decision between Mo and Mitch. So while we can technically match any realistic offer, it’s really difficult to do so.

According to Gemini, we can only pay him $1.5M, not $2.7M

Key Clarification on Diawara’s Contract

2025-26 Salary: $1,272,870 (Standard rookie minimum contract). 
Contract Status: He is a restricted free agent (RFA) entering the 2026 summer. 
Rights Held: You hold Non-Bird rights on him. 

What this means for your 2026-27 offer:
Because he earned $1,272,870 this past year, your Non-Bird re-signing capacity is strictly capped at 120% of his previous salary:
$1,272,870 × 1.20 = $1,527,444

This is the absolute maximum starting salary you can offer him using the Non-Bird exception.

The "Exception" Hierarchy

To pay a player more than the minimum or more than his Non-Bird maximum, you must use a designated cap exception (like the Mid-Level Exception). However, you cannot use the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (TMLE) if you are over the second apron. 

The Hard Cap Trap
Even if you tried to sign Diawara before crossing the second apron:

If you used the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (TMLE) to sign him, your team would become hard-capped at the second apron.

This means you would be legally forbidden from exceeding that $222M line for the rest of the season.

truth be told lots of guys that did what MO did get just that or less, so there's hope to keep all 3. even if we can only offer $1.5m, can we give him a PO for 2nd year where he gets another $1.8m or so guaranteed or can opt out and get a bigger deal from us?

even if we don't resign Mitch and give MO a bigger deal, the hard cap could be a huge issue.

Mo is really unique as a 6’9” wing with a 7’4” wingspan who came out of nowhere to shoot well from 3 pt. But yes, we can SIGNIFICANTLY increase his salary after he completes his second year with us. Even if we’re over the 2nd apron we can pay him up to 105% of the league average which is $15M

If anyone can sell him on that it’s Leon, right?

also interesting to note that he made an extra $1.3m in bonuses last season.

Could probably sell him on 1.5 + 1.8 PO next season = guaranteed $3.3m + potential bonus money. And a bigger role/bigger payday in a year.

He’s a restricted FA so we can offer more than 1.5M. Knicks can offer him a regular minimum contract which goes up to around 2.6-2.7M. The 1.5M would be if they could only offer him the 20% increase which isn’t the case here. He can earn a regular minimum contract equivalent to his years of service. But obviously that’s if the Knicks are committed to going over the second apron. If they don’t, they can give him more.

Never fully trust AI!

Turns out the min 2nd year salary is $2.18M

Heres a source (assuming it’s accurate)

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2025/08/early-nba-minimum-salary-projections-for-2026-27.html

So it’s that figure plus the 20%. That’s where the 2.7M comes from.

The $2.7M would apply to the 27/28 season, but there are other options to pay him more after he completes his second season with us. For this season he’d be at the $2.1M vet min.

This is from the Knicks Film School

———-
Right now, if any team offers Mo anything more than the raise he could get from New York via non-Bird rights (translation: $2.6 million), the Knicks could not functionally match that offer sheet and go above the second apron. The reason is because they only have one pathway to match an offer starting above $2.6 million, and that is to use their taxpayer MLE, but any team that uses its taxpayer MLE is hard capped at the second apron and cannot cross it.
———-

My math had it at 2.7M, but regardless, the 2.6 represents the vet minimum for a player with 1 year experience plus the 20% raise. We are splitting hairs here, but regardless, the number the Knicks have to play with is low and he’s a major flight risk if Mitch and Shamet are both resigned.

So even though we are currently $13mil under the 2nd apron. If we're forced to use the tax payer MLE, that automatically hard caps the Knicks at the second apron still?

Terrible!!

2 years (which seems to be the max he could sign for) $6-8mil($3-4mil per) deal probably wouldn't be worth it for Mo sign to leave elsewhere though. Team would need to jack that up to $10-12mil per.

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://www.twitter.com/shamscharania/status/2069182821327905253

BlueKnickers wrote:

Panos wrote:

DLeethal wrote:

nycericanguy wrote:I'd be very surprised if Alvarado opted out, he's living his dream right now and he's unlikely to get much more than 4.5m anyway.

Me too, but his best chance at a payday is right now. Same goes for Landry. Some guys take that over everything else.

Am I the only one hoping either for an upgrade over GTAvocado or that Kolek somehow grows into the roll?

GTA is getting overrated atm coming off a championship. He was very helpful in key games in the playoffs, but he was also ineffective in just as many games during the playoffs.

I have no idea what the FO intends for him, but my hope all along is Kolek is next up to the plate, but I have no certainty there either.

I agree w this. Jose’s best traits are he’s a fighter and does not wilt and chemistry. I like him bc he made key plays but backup pg is a mess and big area of need. We need size there too considering Detroit and okc to say the least.