Knicks Extension Candidates Could Be Left Hanging

The New York Knicks took care of some necessary housekeeping earlier this summer, signing up for several more years of Mikal Bridges just a year after trading for the star wing.

BREAKING: New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has agreed to a four-year, $150 million contract extension with the franchise, agents Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler of Excel Sports Management tell ESPN. The new deal includes a player option for 2029-30 and a trade kicker. pic.twitter.com/xuiYvzykqJ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 31, 2025

The four-year re-up was more than just the Knicks' expression of faith in their investment, having already traded a trove of first-round draft picks in exchange for the former 20-point-per-game scorer. He wasn't a great fit in last year's scheme, but his shot-variety and pedigree as a shutdown defender make for an irresistible combination for a New York squad that'll need every high-level contributor they can get in going for a championship this season.

The extension also served as a long-term indicator for the fans that the front office wants this iteration of the team through the next few seasons, and clearing up any extension confusion helps Bridges contribute to this next contending season with as clear of a mind as the team can provide him with.

But he isn't alone in anticipating another deal. Several other key Knicks are under their own contracts with rapidly-approaching expiration dates, and not everyone is anticipated to cash in quite like Bridges did.

Bleacher Report expressed some serious doubt in the team's ability to lock down Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride long-term, whether that be for a lack of monetary flexibility or desire.

Towns certainly makes for the more pressing matter, having required New York to cough up another batch of resources in arriving to the Knicks in the same offseason as Bridges. His own extension drama won't start until the summer leading into his final season under contract when he'll be on an expiring contract, giving the team another calendar year to figure out their best course of action for the high-priced All-Star and his warts.

New York Knicks Center Karl-Anthony Towns — Sep 23, 2025; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns speaks to the media during a media day press conference at the Madison Square Garden training center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

"File another one under the "no urgency" tab," Andy Bailey wrote. "Karl-Anthony Towns is under contract through 2027-28 (when he has a player option). And the front office should want to see how he and the New York Knicks perform in the decimated Eastern Conference before tacking years onto the end of this deal."

McBride offers his own value to the team, even if he isn't a starter. The trigger-happy shooter's only ever known New York since getting drafted to the team in the 2021 NBA Draft, one of the longer-tenured Knicks who may end up as a casualty of the other contracts his team's handed out in building out their depth entering the fall.

"Though a Miles McBride obviously wouldn't tie up cap flexibility like the two years and roughly $150 million Towns could get, he still hasn't done quite enough to guarantee his spot on the Knicks beyond 2026-27," Bailey wrote. "Last season, he averaged 9.5 points, but his effective field-goal percentage was well below average."

He's due up next for an extension if we're strictly looking at everyone's expiration dates, and will make a case for his remaining a Knick in another season spent backing up Jalen Brunson and contributing more winning ball in the talented rotation.

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