The Knicks currently have 13 players on guaranteed contracts entering the 2026-27 season, meaning they have two open standard roster spots (and three two-way spots). What they do with those remaining roster spots remains to be seen, but with camp soon approaching, it's a good time to take stock of what New York brings with it into the season.

Not to spoil the rest of this column, but Jalen Brunson is the best contract on the Knicks, and that shouldn’t be shocking to hear. But who follows him?

1. Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension with the Knicks in July 2024, leaving roughly $113 million on the table because he chose to not wait to sign a five-year max worth $269 million. By taking less money early, he helped Leon Rose and the Knicks avoid the second-apron salary cap. Fast forward two years and he’s a Finals-winning star.

Brunson taking less on his first extension with the franchise eventually allowed the Knicks to fit Karl-Anthony Towns into the fold and to give OG Anunoby his free-agent deal. This is also a guy who just won 2026 NBA Finals MVP after scoring 32.6 ppg, leading the series.

Brunson accounted for 31.2% of the Knicks’ points scored in the Finals. No other point guard has accounted for a higher percentage of their team’s points in a Finals series win in at least the last 80 years. For context: Walt “Clyde” Frazier was around 16% in 1970 and 1973 when he led the Knicks to their championships.

We could throw out all these impact stats—as we’ll do with others—but in reality, the guy constantly shows up when the lights are their brightest and he wins. It’s that simple. Having Brunson on a contract that pays him less than $40 million in 2026-27 is bonkers.

And nobody can guard Brunson, no matter what opposing defenses and fans think...

In reality, the Knicks could be paying Brunson $500 billion in 2026-27 and it wouldn’t matter... he’d still be the best contract on the team. He rescued the Knicks from a 50-plus year purgatory and delivered New York City a championship. Everything else he does from this point forward is just icing on the cake—and there’s no reason to not expect more.

2. OG Anunoby

OG Anunoby was initially acquired from the Raptors in December 2023 in what’s turned out to be a heist, as RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a second-round pick went to the other way to Toronto. After the 2023-24 season, the Knicks went on to re-sign Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million deal. He was named to his second NBA All-Defensive Team last season—his first honor as a Knick—making the Second Team.

In Game 4 of the Finals vs. the Spurs, Anunoby had a playoff career-high 33 points and made the game-winning tip-in off a Brunson missed three-pointer with under two seconds left to cap off the team’s 29-point comeback.

In OG fashion, he also had a crucial block to save the game of De’Aaron Fox late in the comeback win. He averaged 21.2 PPG on 52.5% shooting (50% shooting from three) in the series, while setting the NBA record for highest TS% (72.1%) in a single postseason with at least 150+ shots attempted.

Anunoby is one of the stronger analytics darlings you’ll see in the sport. He had the highest on-off (+6.1) among Knicks’ players during the 2025-26 regular season. He posted a +3.6 DARKO DPM (Daily Plus/Minus), which isn’t MVP-caliber, but it’s important to provide more context.

His .101 DARKO DPM per salary in 2025-26 was the fourth-highest among players who made at least $30 million last season, only trailing SGA (.157), Nikola Jokić (.127), and Kawhi Leonard (.120). That just proves that getting him on his deal with the level of impact he brings to the table as a two-way juggernaut shouldn’t be overlooked, even if he’s not a top-2 player on the team “on paper.”

3. Deuce McBride

Deuce McBride might not be a starter on the Knicks, but whether you think he should be or not, he’s easily the best pure deal on the Knicks’ roster. He’ll be an expiring contract in 2026-27 and that opens him up to potentially being used in a trade. For the purpose of this exercise, let’s just evaluate his fit on the Knicks.

McBride, who will be making $3.96 million in 2026-27, will have just the eighth-highest salary among players on the Knicks’ roster this upcoming season. In 2025-26, he battled injuries in the second half of the season, but he averaged a career-high 12 PPG, while shooting 41.3% from three-point range on a career-high 6.6 attempts per game.

One of the keys to McBride’s perfect fit on the Knicks’ roster is the fact you can plug him into any lineup with any combination of players and that lineup will excel. Among the 10 players last season on the Knicks’ roster to play at least 700 minutes in the regular season and playoffs combined, his +12.6 net rating was the highest.

One of the most important successful combinations involving Deuce McBride is his ability to share the floor with Brunson. The Knicks posted a 129.4 ORTG, 113.1 DRTG, and +16.2 NETRTG in 829 minutes when the two players shared the floor in 2025-26. That was the highest two-man combo NETRTG that involved Brunson last season.

4. Karl-Anthony Towns

Karl-Anthony Towns is in the final year of a four-year, $224 million extension that he signed with the T-Wolves before he was traded to the Knicks. He’ll be making just south of $60 million in 2026-27, which is a lot for a guy who technically isn’t your best player. He also holds a 2027-28 player option worth roughly $61 million.

At some point, it’s expected that the Knicks will reach an agreement on an extension for KAT—a player who might’ve been the most important all-around player in the Finals for the Knicks. While Brunson provided the scoring punch and Anunoby had the flare for the dramatic on both ends, there were numerous times throughout the Finals where KAT took on Victor Wembanyama, the so-called future of the NBA, and got the best of him.

The acquisition of KAT before the 2024-25 season was the final all-in move from Leon Rose in his attempt to bring a championship to the Knicks’ fanbase. And the gamble worked within two years of making the trade. His acquisition completely turned the Knicks into a championship-or-bust franchise.

KAT averaged 20.1 PPG and 11.9 RPG during the 2025-26 season. He then became a focal point of the Knicks’ offense during their historic run in the playoffs. He’s a guy who has historic gravity on the floor, which is what you get with a superstar.

The only reason he doesn’t slot in the top three of Knicks’ contracts is the fact he makes... so much. Brunson is one of the best performers on the biggest of stages, Anunoby is one of the best two-way players in the NBA, and McBride gets paid next to nothing.

5. Landry Shamet

For the most part, Landry Shamet wasn’t part of the Knicks’ plans when Tom Thibodeau was the head coach of the franchise. However, once Mike Brown took over, he became a key piece of the Knicks’ roster, playing extended minutes off the bench and taking over as a scorer at times during the playoffs.

The Knicks re-signed Shamet to a four-year, $24 million contract in the offseason, which seems like a steal with him making just $5.4 million in the first year of the pact. When the Knicks swept the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals, he set the NBA record with the highest three-point percentage (91.7%) in a single playoff series, making 11-of-12 threes that he attempted in the series.

Shamet’s ability to space the floor makes him such a key to the roster, especially that he fits seamlessly with the rest of the core rotation players. While he’s not a starting player on the roster, he averaged 9.3 PPG off the bench while shooting just under 40% from three.

The Knicks are paying for a guy who they know can make a shot whenever he gets the ball, and who doesn’t need to dribble at all to impact the offense. And he’s going to give you 120% effort on the defensive end to go along with that.

6. Josh Hart

Josh Hart will be making just under $21 million in 2026-27 and will likely be a member of the Knicks’ starting lineup once again this upcoming season. He does all the nasty, dirty works for the Knicks. He rebounds on the defensive glass, gathers in 50/50 balls, has his clutch moments on both ends, all while being a key connector on both ends for his team.

One of Hart’s specialties is being able to provide exceptional impact without scoring the basketball. Among players to play at least 4,500 minutes over the last two seasons, only Bub Carrington (young player on Wizards) and Rudy Gobert (one of the best defenders in the entire sport) scored fewer points than Hart (1,843).

While Hart’s inability to scare teams into guarding him can lead to the Knicks’ offense coming to a screeching halt, he showed why what he brings to the table matters so much in the Finals against the Spurs. The Knicks were 30.9 points per 100 possessions better with Hart on the floor (+14.4 NETRTG) in that series than with him off the floor (-16.5 NETRTG).

7. Mikal Bridges

Mikal Bridges’ on-paper stats won’t wow you. He won’t average 20 PPG, unless it’s for a tanking team; he averaged 14.4 PPG for the Knicks in 2025-26 in the final year of the four-year extension he signed while with the Suns in October 2021.

For a player making just under $25 million, what Bridges brought to the table was perfectly fine. He never misses games. In fact he’s played in 638 of 637 possible games (he played in 83 contests in 2022-23 when he was traded from the Suns to the Nets). He doesn’t demand the ball. He’s the perfect fit in the corner for a guy like Brunson at point guard and he’s great covering for others on defense.

However, he’ll be making $33.5 million in 2026-27—the first year of his new extension that’s worth $150 million over the next four years. Among the players making at least $30 million next season, only Walker Kessler (16.7% in five games) had a lower usage rate than Bridges (17.3%) among 51 players who played in 2025-26 who’ll make at least $30 million.

However, guys like Aaron Gordon, Andrew Wiggins, Chet Holmgren, and Derrick White follow Bridges on that list—all of those being key contributors to championship teams in past years.

That’s the type of player Bridges is. He'll do whatever is asked of him, play the most minutes (if needed), and will step up if needed. Still, $33.5 million is a lot for a guy who might be somewhere in the range of fourth-fifth-sixth most valuable Knick.

8. Jose Alvarado

The Knicks acquired Jose Alvarado at the 2026 trade deadline from the Pelicans, and he thrived for New York, proving to be the perfect point guard to pair with KAT when Brunson isn’t on the floor. “Grand Theft Alvarado” re-signed with the Knicks on cheap three-year contract worth just under $14.4 million.

Alvarado was a key part of the Knicks’ Game 4 comeback vs. the Spurs, asserting himself on both offense and defense. Throughout the entire Finals, the Knicks destroyed the Spurs with him on the floor.

The Knicks had a 123.9 ORTG (60.7% TS%), 107.5 DRTG, and +16.4 NETRTG in the 109 possessions he was on the floor during the Finals. The Knicks only had a 106.9 ORTG (51.4% TS%) in the 362 possessions that Alvarado sat.

Going back to Alvarado’s fit with KAT, the Knicks had a 131.5 ORTG, 105.2 DRTG, and +26.3 NETRTG in the 755 possessions that they shared the floor together during the 2025-26 season. That’s a higher NETRTG than KAT had with either Brunson or Tyler Kolek!

While Alvarado slots in eighth on this list, that’s not a knock at all to him. He's been an impact savant for the Knicks since he joined the Knicks. He’s still probably the eighth man on the Knicks, behind Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet on the bench.

9. Mohamed Diawara

Mohamed Diawara would probably be higher on this list if it was a forgone conclusion that he’d be a consistent part of the Knicks’ rotation for this upcoming season. He signed a four-year, $10 million deal in the offseason after surprising everyone last season.

In terms of the 2026-27 team, Diawara probably won’t be one of the key pieces to the puzzle, but he could be if (A) he takes another leap or (B) there are injuries. In terms of his ceiling, he has the potential to be a crucial part of the extension of this core’s window—though he doesn’t have to be that guy right now.

10. Jordan Clarkson

Jordan Clarkson served in a number of roles for the 2025-26 Knicks. At first, he was a microwave scorer off the bench. However, he then got benched and only played a handful of garbage-time minutes for the team. Then, he turned into a completely different player than he had been for his NBA career: He became a guy who got offensive rebounds and converted shots at a high clip in the restricted area.

The key for Clarkson to stay in the rotation and continue to contribute during this upcoming campaign for the Knicks will be him continuing to be the player he was to end last season. Making just $3.9 million in 2026-27, having a veteran who knows exactly what he needs to do to help his team win games is beneficial to the Knicks’ hopes at repeating.

11. Andre Drummond

The Knicks signed Andre Drummond to a one-year, $3.9 million contract earlier in the offseason after Mitchell Robinson bolted to Boston on a three-year, $47.4 million deal. With Robinson and Ariel Hukporti (signed with Philadelphia) both leaving, Drummond becomes the lone (true) backup center on the Knicks’ roster.

The Knicks had a 121 ORTG with Mitchell Robinson on the floor last season, while the Sixers had a 113.7 ORTG with Drummond on the floor. Obviously, much different pieces around both players. The Knicks had the fourth-best offense in the NBA during the 2025-26 regular season with a 120.2 ORTG, while the Sixers were only 17th in the NBA with a 115.5 ORTG, according to CleaningTheGlass.

Drummond does things that Mitch was famously known—he rebounds the basketball with the best of them. While Robinson is maybe the best offensive rebounder in NBA history, Drummond is at-worst in the top five of that list. His 3,965 career offensive boards ranks 10th all-time in NBA history, just 69 behind Hakeem Olajuwon.

12. Tyler Kolek

Tyler Kolek isn’t necessarily a “bad contract,” in the grand scheme of things. He’s the Knicks’ third point guard and will make enough ($2.3 million) where he could be used in a deal down the line. However, this is a guy who likely won’t be in the Knicks’ rotation.

There are way too many talented players on this Knicks’ roster for Kolek to find playing time, unless either Brunson or Alvarado are sidelined. That’s nothing against Kolek. Last season, he was a godsend at times, especially in December in the NBA Cup Finals vs. the Spurs, right after that game against the Pacers and on Christmas Day versus the Cavs.

13. Pacôme Dadiet

Pacôme Dadiet rounds out their list to nobody’s shock. As the lone first-round pick made by Leon Rose on the Knicks’ roster heading into 2026-27, he’s easily been the most disappointing.

Dadiet will be entering potentially the final year of his rookie year, if his 2027-28 team option isn’t exercised, and he still hasn’t found a way into an NBA rotation role. There really isn’t much to say beyond that. And there isn’t much reason to believe that he’ll find a way into consistent playing time on the 2026-27 Knicks unless things go terribly wrong.

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