Knicks Feel ‘Urgency’ to Check Off No. 1 Offseason Priority

The New York Knicks have Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart locked in for the long haul, but Mikal Bridges, the other key piece of their core, could become a free agent in 2026.

Bridges will enter the 2025-26 season on an expiring deal, unless he and the Knicks can agree to an extension beforehand. According ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, the Knicks are very determined to get a deal done with Bridges before his potential free agency.

“I think there’s some urgency to get something done with him, because of the fact that he will be a free agent next summer, when there will be a lot of cap space around the league, and there are not a lot of guys to spend it on,” he told “NBA Today” on July 24.

“Mikal Bridges — while he may not be worth the several draft picks Knicks gave up for him — is a 3-and-D wing every team in the league is looking for. You can plug-and-play him in any situation, so I think getting something done with him would be good for the Knicks, to try and lock him in for the long term.”

Towns Also Extension-Eligible

Besides Bridges, Towns is also eligible for an extension this offseason, worth up to $206 million over three years. The All-Star big man has a player option ahead of the 2027-28 season, so the Knicks have him locked up for a minimum of two seasons.

ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins urged the Knicks to lock up Towns through the 2030 season.

“They should lock in and focus on extending Karl-Anthony Towns,” Perkins told “NBA Today” on July 24. “He’s the best big man they’ve had since Patrick Ewing. He’s a top-5 big in the NBA right now — he made All-NBA and All-Star last year.

“Although he had trouble defensively against the Pacers, he still put up great numbers in the Eastern Conference Finals.”

Towns averaged 21.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists at 49% shooting in 18 NBA playoff games, including the six-game Eastern Conference Finals.

Giannis Situation Holding Things Up

According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks have been hesitant to lock in Bridges or Towns to long-term money due to Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s situation in Milwaukee. The two-time MVP is expected to return to the Bucks for the 2025-26 season, but there’s uncertainty over his long-term future with the organization.

“Until the Giannis stuff is fully settled — and I don’t think it’s fully settled yet — teams continue to plan with that in the back of their minds,” Begley said on The Putback on July 15. “When [Bridges] does extend, I think that would tell you Giannis is put to bed.”

An anonymous Knicks executive also weighed in on the Bridges situation.