Who’s the highest-paid player in New York City, and how big is the team’s payroll? Take a look at the Knicks contracts on the books this season.
The New York Knicks have roared back to relevance with a bevy of team-friendly contracts. Their efforts helped them advance in the NBA Playoffs and gave them over 45 wins for the first time since 2013. The investment in acquiring college teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart is paying off and has set the streets of NYC ablaze with excitement, causing the echos of “Bing Bong!” to ripple through Penn Plaza.
However, while the fans march proudly through the city, the Knicks face a challenging future with limited cap space, making it tough to bring top-tier talent to the Mecca of hoops. The team has $146 million in guaranteed contracts this season. The Knicks also have several team and player options that could push their salary obligations even higher next season, including promising young players like RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, and Immanuel Quickley, for whom the club has exercised its team rights.
Despite the cashflow restriction, the Knicks still have some room under the luxury tax to pick up Derrick Rose‘s $15.6 million team option or risk trading for high-caliber players like OG Anunoby or Karl-Anthony Towns, who may be tempted to play alongside a developing tandem of Brunson and Julius Randle.
When the playoffs conclude, the Knicks must decide whether to acquire key rotational pieces and pay the tax to win now or develop their prospects through training and on-court experience. With their impressive depth this year, the Knicks have many potential trade assets to explore, but they must get creative to improve the team without breaking the bank.
With Brunson and Randle emerging as elite players, the Knicks may not have time to swing big in free agency. Thus, the team must explore alternative avenues to continue their upward trajectory.
Let’s look closer at the New York Knicks contracts and salaries on the books this season.
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Knicks Contracts & Salaries 2022-23
All Lakers’ salary figures are via Spotrac and do not include players on two-way or 10-day contracts.
1. PG Jalen Brunson: $27,733,332
- Contract: 4 years, $104,000,000
- Click here for Boardroom’s full overview of Brunson’s contract details in New York.
2. PF Julius Randle: $23,760,000
- Contract: 4 years, $117,089,280
- Click here for Boardroom’s deep dive on Randle’s contract with the Knicks.
3. SG Evan Fournier: $18,000,000
- Contract: 4 years, $73,000,000
4. C Mitchell Robinson: $17,045,454
- Contract: 4 years, $60,000,000
5. PG Derrick Rose: $14,520,730
- Contract: 3 years, $43,562,189
6. SG Josh Hart $12,960,000
- Contract: 3 years, $12,960,000
7. SG R.J. Barrett: $10,900,635
- Contract: 4 years, $107,000,000
8. C Isaiah Hartenstein: $7,804,879
- Contract: 2 years, $16,000,000
9. PF Obi Toppin: $5,348,280
- Contract: 4 years, $22,118,492
10. PG Immanuel Quickley: $2,316,240
- Contract: 4 years, $10,803,948
11. SG Quentin Grimes: $2,277,000
- Contract: 4 years, $11,128,042
12. C Jericho Sims: $2,316,240
- Contract: 3 years, $5,658,206
13. PG Miles McBride: $1,563,518
- Contract: 3 years, $4,324,872
14. PF Isaiah Roby: $400,000
- Contract: 2 years, $2,466,585
15. SG DaQuan Jeffries: $300,000
- Contract: 2 years, $2,366,585
Knicks Salary Cap 2022-23: Inside the Numbers
All dollar figures and cap estimates via Spotrac as of May 1.
- Active contracts: $146,568,034
- Dead money: $269,537
- Total salary cap usage: $180,067,292
- Estimated 2022-23 luxury tax space: $3,382,400
- Salary on the books for 2023-24: $172,055,338
Click here for Boardroom’s full overview of the NBA’s salary cap rules for the 2022-23 season.
