At the very top, the important pieces are in place. Having signed an extension last August, Hart is tied in for the next four seasons, and his sizeable increase in salary next season ($18,144,000) is nevertheless still commensurate with his quality and importance to the team. Brunson ($24,960,001) and Randle ($30,317,760) are also under contract for 2024-25, as are important fourth-and-fifth starters Donte DiVincenzo ($11,445,000) and Mitchell Robinson ($14,318,182).
Anunoby is the obvious exception to this. He has a $19,928,571 player option for 2024-25 as things stand, but considering that he could easily get that again on the open market, opting out and signing a longer, bigger deal should be expected. If immediate money does need to be saved, it is not a coincidence that trade deadline acquisition Bojan Bogdanovic has a de facto team option on his $19,032,850 2024-25 salary that can be cut for a mere $2 million.
Beyond Anunoby, center Isaiah Hartenstein will also enter free agency off the back of his impressive season, and while the contracts of Brunson, Randle and breakout third-year player Miles McBride are all secure for next season, they are also all extension-eligible this summer. In total, then, the Knicks might find themselves committing several hundred million dollars in player salary this summer even before any external acquisitions. Such is the side effect of compiling a quality roster.