After a short post-championship celebratory summer that saw the Knicks retain most of their core, much of the talk over the last few weeks has been about the future of the roster.
The players and coaches have done their best to keep their focus on the upcoming season and the tough road that lies between them and repeating as champions. But it's difficult to ignore the fact that only six players have contracts that are fully guaranteed for next season.
So, with that being said, who is in jeopardy of entering their final season in New York?
1.Karl-Anthony Towns
Most years, a team coming off a championship gets to enter the following season smoothly. Reigning champions often lose players, and they also tend to have some roster uncertainty. But few defending champions enter the following season with the kind of talks surrounding a major piece like the Knicks have. Towns and his very public negotiations, or lack thereof, with the Knicks have been very well-documented.
Many still believe that the two sides will eventually figure something out. Towns wants to stay a Knick. And the Knicks are obviously better with him and will find it difficult to replace him if they have to. That being said, it is still a bit concerning that they seem so far apart. Leon Rose has seldom let players of value go without getting anything in return.
The big man still has a player option for next season, but there is still a world where Towns is playing basketball elsewhere this time next year.
2. Josh Hart
The Knicks could still end up keeping or trading both Towns and Hart. But if they were to pick only one to part ways with, there's a chance that it's Towns, and not Hart. Hart is not only cheaper but also one of Jalen Brunson's best friends. But if such a scenario occurs, the Knicks would be wise to choose Towns and trade Hart.
The guard is the much more replaceable one, as Towns is obviously a far superior player and possesses a much more unique skill set. Hart has become the heart and soul of the team, and it seems unfathomable to picture a Brunson-led team without Hart. And like Towns, I still think the it's more likely than not that Hart and the team come to terms on a contract extension.
But if winning and maintaining a competitive roster is the priority, the Knicks can't be completely opposed to letting Hart go.
3. Miles McBride
The backup guard is in the final year of his contract. While he, like Towns, has expressed his desire to stay a Knick, there just doesn't seem to be a path for the Knicks to pay McBride what he wants without going over the Second Apron or making a major deal. McBride, despite a subpar preseason, is a pivotal part of the Knicks' success, but between a potential trade and his impending free agency, it seems highly unlikely that he's a Knick past this season.
4. Tyler Kolek
Depending on what the Knicks want to do midseason, there's a chance Kolek doesn't even finish the season with the team.
In an ideal world, Rose would be trading third-year man Pacome Dadiet. But there seems to be a complete lack of interest in him around the league. If New York feels the need to upgrade their center depth or address an injury midseason, Kolek should still have enough value to help them acquire some sort of help, especially if a pick is attached to him. Even if a trade never takes place, Kolek will have a very difficult time getting consistent playing time. He's behind the team's best player, Brunson, and the recently re-signed Jose Alvarado.
From everything we've heard, the Knicks like Kolek. But from everything we've seen, they also don't believe in him enough to prioritize keeping him long-term.
5. Pacome Dadiet
Like Kolek above, Dadiet has a tough road to getting any sort of minutes on this team. He's fully entrenched behind multiple veterans and has looked subpar in almost all of his NBA Summer League, World Cup qualifying, and preseason games.
The Knicks, as mentioned above, would much rather trade Dadiet than Kolek. But Dadiet unironically has a better chance of remaining a Knick given his incredibly low-to-potentially-negative trade value.
6. Jordan Clarkson & 7. Andre Drummond
Aside from Towns and Hart, I actually think these two have the highest chance of being a Knick again next year.
Both signed one-year veteran minimum deals, but Clarkson is already on his second minimum deal after loving his time as a Knick last season. And Drummond, a New York native, could come back on another minimum deal next season if he can live up to expectations. Unlike McBride, whom the Knicks won't be able to afford, and the duo of Kolek and Dadiet, whom the Knicks will look to trade at some point this season, there is a very solid chance that they are here again next season, depending on how they play this year.
Although a disappointing season from them, or the team, could lead to a shakeup at the end of the bench next offseason.
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