knicks
Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With an NBA championship to defend, the NY Knicks don’t want the distractions of contract extensions this season. The team announced over the weekend that it has tabled all talks on new contracts until much later on in the campaign. But that news has 6-time All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns ‘very disappointed.’
To put a bow on this, for now, Karl-Anthony Towns' public response to the Knicks' public statement regarding the front office tabling extension talks until later in the season:
"It was news to me. Very disappointed to say the least. Let's state the obvious. It's business, but…
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) October 11, 2026
According to James L. Edwards III in The Athletic, Towns isn’t happy that a new contract won’t be coming imminently.
“It was news to me. Very disappointed to say the least. Let’s state the obvious. It’s business, but there is business on the court for us to handle.”
KAT was willing to take a “discount” of some sort on his next deal to help out the Knicks and their second apron challenges. But he’s not willing to take an out-and-out haircut. And the fact that all this is now on the back burner doesn’t make him feel any better.
“Simply put, I want to do something that can keep the team together and work with the Knicks and also values me,” Towns said before the Knicks paused talks altogether. “None of those things have come close to happening.”
Towns has a $61 million player option for next season, but is also eligible for a new four-year contract at a max $276 million. Edwards III reports that the Knicks have offered Towns a new deal worth around $200 million.
Towns has crucial deadline coming up regarding extension talks
The tricky part for KAT is that he must decline his option for next season by Oct. 19 in order to be able to negotiate with the team about an extension at any point during the regular season. The same goes for Josh Hart, another key championship piece.
Hart has a $22M option on 2027-28, and could also start to get antsy without an extension. He had said back in September at media day, “For me, as long as I wear this jersey, I’m going to play as hard as I can. Hopefully we figure it out … If some of these things aren’t finished by February, it might be a different situation.”
But now, a few weeks later, after the Knicks officially shut down extension talks, Hart has changed his tune:
“Everything is going to work out. I’m not really too stressed over it,” Hart said. “I’m not putting too much into it. We have expectations, so it’s good we are able to focus on the season.”
For many around the team, there’s simply been too much chatter about all these contract controversies, and that could distract from the champs’ real goal this season. Which is why the team’s statement read as it did:
“As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of,” the team’s statement read. “As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season.”
We’ll see if the natives begin to get restless as the campaign moves along.