Landry Shamet Is Hardest Knick's Future to Predict After Finals

Just how much will the Knicks — and the rest of the league — value the journeyman sharpshooter?

Jun 5, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) runs back up court during the fourth quarter during game two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

There may not have been an NBA player on a minimum contract more valuable than Landry Shamet was to the New York Knicks this season.

Shamet joined the Knicks on a training camp deal. He was in a three-player race to get the final roster spot and got it by Malcolm Brogdon retiring in training camp and beating out Garrison Matthews.

Fast-forward nine months later, and Shamet is permanently etched into New York sports history, thanks to his hot three-point shooting in the playoffs. The 29-year-old veteran shooting guard shot 47.5% from three in the postseason, including going 11-for-12 in the Eastern Conference Finals, and hit several clutch threes throughout the playoffs en route to winning a championship.

However, Shamet’s future is now very much up in the air. Shamet is an unrestricted free agent this summer and should have plenty of suitors after his strong, two-way performance in the postseason. This comes as the Knicks push up against the second apron and will have little financial wiggle room, making Shamet’s future unclear.

The question hanging over the Knicks and Shamet is how much they value him relative to the rest of the league, and whether Shamet wants to remain in New York or simply take the biggest, longest deal he can get.

Will the Knicks re-sign Landry Shamet?

The Knicks, presumably, want Shamet back for the right price.

Tim Bontemps of ESPN reported in May that the belief around the league is that the Knicks would re-sign both Shamet and Mitchell Robinson (also a free agent) to two-year deals. This would push the Knicks into the second apron for two seasons, before they would need to cut some payroll to duck below the second apron.

The Knicks have Early Bird Rights for Shamet, making his situation somewhat similar to Isaiah Hartenstein’s with New York two summers ago. The Knicks will be able to offer Shamet a deal worth 105% of the league average salary, which is currently about $14 million. Teams with cap space, of course, could offer him more per year.

The Knicks will have to decide how high they want to go for a new deal for Shamet. A key factor will be that the Knicks won’t have cap space or major salary-cap exceptions in free agency to sign replacements for Shamet.

How much will Landry Shamet’s next contract be worth?

Predicting contracts in today’s cap environment is difficult. Critics of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement argue that free agency has squeezed out the “middle class” of NBA players, leaving only max extensions, mid-level exceptions, or veteran’s minimums.

We previously argued that Shamet could make around $8 million per season on his next deal. Guards who are not on their rookie deals who make $7-10 million per season include: 

• Payton Pritchard (four years, $30M)
• Tre Mann (three years, $24 million)
• Tre Jones (three years, $24 million)
• Max Christie (four years, $32 million)
• Aaron Wiggins (five years, $45 million)
• Sam Merrill (four years, $38 million)
• Ty Jerome (three years, $27 million)
• Buddy Hield (four years, $37 million)

This seems like a reasonable class for Shamet to be in.

For the Knicks, it may make sense to offer Shamet a two-year deal in the range of $16-20 million total.

The question is whether another team values Shamet more or is willing to give him a longer deal. Shamet, after all, has played on back-to-back, one-year, minimum contracts. He has dealt with injuries in both seasons and fought back to make it back onto the court. He would surely appreciate a little more long-term security.

It’s worth wondering if a team with cap space — there are 10 projected teams right now — value Shamet’s shooting and defense enough to offer him something like three years, $33 million or four years, $40 million.

Such deals are a rarity in today’s NBA and could even be seen as a bit much for Shamet. Shamet rode something of a high through the playoffs, but cooled off considerably over the last three Finals games.

Would the Knicks go above such an offer for Shamet? Would they be willing to offer a third year — contrary to Bontemps’ reporting — to try to keep him? As mentioned, they lack tools to replace Shamet.

All of this makes Shamet’s future the most unclear on the team. He has the skills to be a contributor on any team. He is also a journeyman, coming off two minimum contracts, which, fair or not, can affect a player’s reputation around the league. Will a team really shell out over $10 million per year to lure Shamet from New York?

Just how much the Knicks value their sharpshooter off the bench is one of the biggest questions of this offseason.