Locked On Knicks - Daily Podcast On The New York Knicks

Karl-Anthony Towns Extension Will MAKE Or BREAK The Knicks Title Window With Jeremy Cohen

July 16, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The New York Knicks won the NBA championship last season, and the front office has already made moves that could either extend or close their title window. According to salary cap analyst Jeremy Cohen of Knicks Film School, the team’s most critical financial decisions are coming in the next two years, and how they handle extensions for Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, and others will determine whether the Knicks remain contenders or become a cautionary tale about the second apron.

The Two-Year Window Is Real—But Not Inevitable

Cohen and host Gavin Shaw agree that the Knicks have roughly a two-year window to win another title. The core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart are all between 28 and 31, smack in the middle of their primes. But the salary cap math is unforgiving. Brunson and Anunoby are lined up for max or near-max extensions in 2028, and Towns is extension-eligible now. If the Knicks pay everyone market value, they will almost certainly hit the second apron, which triggers severe roster-building restrictions: frozen draft picks, no ability to aggregate salaries in trades, and a hard cap that limits flexibility.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:46) **Is the Knicks' Title Window Only Two Years?** - The episode opens with the central question: whether the Knicks can extend their championship window beyond the next two seasons given their looming salary cap crunch.
2 (08:54) **Avenues for a Longer Window** - The conversation shifts to what specific moves or luck would be required to extend the Knicks' contention timeline beyond two years.
3 (11:35) **The Philosophy of Consolidation** - The discussion moves to the front office's strategy of turning weaknesses into strengths rather than making stars-for-stars trades.
4 (21:12) **The Karl-Anthony Towns Extension Dilemma** - This is the most detailed and actionable segment, breaking down the specific leverage and numbers for the KAT extension.
5 (23:00) **The Deuce McBride Trap** - A critical breakdown of why trading Deuce McBride for a backup center would be "bad process."
6 (31:44) **Trading a Core Player: Who Goes?** - The hosts rank the trade value and likelihood of moving each member of the core five.
7 (35:04) **Final Roster Spot and Predictions** - The episode concludes with a practical look at the final open roster spot and the strategy for filling it.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Gavin Shaw

Show Notes

New York Knicks’ championship window faces tough questions amid high-stakes contract talks and a shifting NBA landscape. Can Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby keep the Knicks at the top beyond two seasons, or is a reset inevitable with looming max extensions? Knicks Film School's salary cap expert Jeremy Cohen unpacks the complex financial puzzle, while Gavin Schall explores whether smart roster moves—like keeping Deuce McBride and maximizing Landry Shamet’s value—can offset Mitchell Robinson’s departure.

Strategic challenges abound: Should the Knicks remain below the second apron? Are their current picks and depth enough to sustain dominance if talent like Josh Hart begins to age? The conversation spotlights potential trade scenarios, the impact of a future expansion draft, and tough decisions with the final roster spot. Don’t miss this sharp analysis of Knicks offseason moves, future flexibility, and whether New York’s recent title run is a dynasty in the making or the crest before a rebuild.

Check out more of Jeremy's Knicks coverage over @KnickFilmSkool and check out his new drone light show company Tyto Flight, here.

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