KAT, Knicks Reportedly Have 'No Urgency' on New Contract amid Mitchell Robinson Talks
Despite having already signed Mikal Bridges to an extension early in the offseason, the New York Knicks aren't in a rush to get new deals done with either of their top two centers.
Per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, there is "no urgency" from the Knicks or Karl-Anthony Towns for a contract extension.
Windhorst also noted there isn't "traction toward a deal" for Mitchell Robinson, even though the two sides have had talks.
Robinson's situation is the more pressing of the two since he can become a free agent after the upcoming season, but he's a hard player to fully trust on an extension because of his injury history. The 27-year-old has only appeared in 72 games between the regular season and playoffs over the past two seasons.
The Knicks are a better team with Robinson on the court because of his rim protection and offensive rebounding skill. He was instrumental in the team's second-round playoff win over the Boston Celtics, so they could just be waiting to see if he can stay healthy for a full season before committing to him.
Towns has two guaranteed years remaining on his deal, plus a $61 million player option for 2027-28.
The Knicks are also a very expensive roster for at least the next two seasons. Their top five players in 2026-27 will combine to make $191.7 million (Towns, Bridges, OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart).
Another potential factor at play is Giannis Antetokounmpo's reported interest in the Knicks when his camp did due diligence on potential landing spots if he were to ask for a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Even though it seems unlikely Antetokounmpo would make a trade request before the in-season deadline on Feb. 5, no one has any clear idea what the two-time MVP is going to do.
If Towns were to sign an extension now, he wouldn't be eligible to be traded for six months under NBA rules. That would take him off the board for the trade deadline.
There's also just the simple matter that the Knicks might want to be mindful of the apron going into the future. They are currently only $3.7 million under the second apron and $3.6 million under the projected first apron in 2026-27 with only seven players on guaranteed contracts.
Towns is entering his second season with the Knicks after being acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves in October 2024. He earned All-NBA third-team honors in 2024-25 after averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game in 72 starts.
The Knicks' 51 wins last season were their most since 2012-13 (54-28). They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years before losing to the Indiana Pacers in six games.
