A surprising report suggests the New York Knicks may consider trading one of their playoff heroes to sign Karl-Anthony Towns to an extension and stay under the second payroll tax apron.
Although the 2026 NBA Finals concluded over two months ago, Knicks fans around the world are still living off the joy this spring brought to a fanbase that has not seen a championship run in 53 years. However, the team and their supporters will have to turn the page soon because we are just a few weeks away from the opening of training camps around the NBA.
While they haven’t made big additions this summer, they did sign valuable rotation players like Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson, and Jose Alvarado to new deals. Yes, they lost Mitchell Robinson to rivals the Boston Celtics in NBA free agency, but they did add two-time All-Star Andre Drummond to help fill the void. Although they have a few roster spots left to fill, it seems like the biggest story surrounding the team is on Towns’ future.
Could the NY Knicks trade Landry Shamet to get salary cap space?
The six-time All-Star has two years left on his contract. However, next summer he can opt out of the final year of the deal and be one of the top players available in free agency. It has created a lot of speculation about signing him to a new long-term pact and for how much. Owner James Dolan does not want the team’s payroll to go past the second tax apron, so KAT may need to take a discounted rate to stay.
However, there is also another option, and that would be to remove more money from their payroll. On Wednesday, Heavy NBA insider Sean Deveney offered an idea that will certainly worry Knicks fans.
“The Knicks could well seek to create more wiggle room by dealing out Shamet, who is good value at $6.2 million in 2027-28.”
– Sean Deveney
Landry Shamet had a spring NY Knicks won’t soon forget
Heading into this season, Shamet was a failed former first-round pick, having trouble sticking with one team for more than a season. However, during the 2024-25 campaign, he showed upside for the Knicks, so they brought him back this past season. Well, that was a stroke of genius.
Shamet proved to be a reliable player off the bench who offered high-level three-point shooting and effort on the defensive side of the ball. He even had a 36-point night against the Miami Heat in November when he hit six threes. However, he had several big moments during the Knicks’ run to their first championship in five decades.
In the quarterfinals, he had two games scoring over double digits, including a 12-point game with four threes in New York’s closeout win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He also hit a couple of huge threes in the Knicks’ wild come-from-behind victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Plus, he posted a 16-point night, going 4-for-4 from three in that series’ closeout game as well.
Shamet also scored 13 points apiece in Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals. A trade isn’t likely anytime soon, but it may be something the organization will have to consider next summer.
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