The NBA's new tax apron rules have heavily affected the roster-building process for plenty of franchises, and the New York Knicks could feel its impact in the near future.
Even still, New York was able to rebuild their bench rotation this past summer by adding several key role players in free agency. Unfortunately for their front office, the organization may not be able to avoid the vaunted second tax apron as a result.
If the Knicks are dead set on maintaining a semblance of roster flexibility prior to the beginning of the 2025-26 regular season, one NBA writer suggests that one of their staples at the center position (when healthy) could be on the move sooner rather than later.
"With this new CBA in place, exceeding the second apron (set at $207,824,000 for the upcoming season) can have a crushing impact on a team, as it severely limits flexibility when attempting to add outsourced talent and could even negatively affect a club's draft stock down the road," FanSided's Mark Nilon wrote Monday afternoon.
"Because of this, before final rosters are required to be set on October 20, fans should expect New York to be working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring their payroll down to below the dreaded second apron."
"(Mitchell) Robinson's $12.95 million salary for 2025-26 may not be enough on its own to dip them below the mark, but using it in some sort of package deal seems to be one of the more plausible moves Leon Rose and company could make."
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New York's 27-year-old rebounding machine Mitchell Robinson proved his worth to the team throughout their run to the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals last season, but his $12.9 million salary may motivate the franchise to deal the 7-year veteran.
Robinson averaged 5.1 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Knicks in only 17 regular season appearances in 2024-25, but he was able to wreck opponents on the boards in the playoffs, as evidenced by his magnificent figure of 3.7 offensive rebounds in 18 games.
The only downside was that he shot himself out of countless games thanks to his putrid 39.3% free-throw shooting in the 2025 playoffs.
In tandem with his large salary, Robinson's inability to stay healthy could mark an abrupt end to his 337-game tenure with the franchise before the regular season gets underway.