After all the celebrations end of winning the 2025-26 NBA championship, James Dolan and the Knicks have a lot of important decisions to make going into the summer. The Knicks’ owner, like several other players on the team, has been on a public-relations spree, appearing on interviews on several renowned platforms across multiple media outlets.
He first appeared on the Carton Show on WFAN radio, where he addressed the Knicks’ financial situation heading into the summer regarding entering the second apron.
“First of all, most of our guys are on a contract. A couple of guys are not. If we could bring back the whole team, why wouldn’t you? But I don’t think we’ll be able to.”
“We’re willing to stretch, right? But there are certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron.”
“But that’s up to Leon. I just tell him how big a cheque I can write. I’ll write as big a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron,” Dolan concluded.
Entering the second apron without a guaranteed championship-winning roster is a risky move for any team’s core. They become at risk of facing several penalties and restrictions if a team operates in the second apron.
According to NBA salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan, the Knicks can avoid the second apron with minimum salaries for final roster spots. That means no Mitchell Robinson or Landry Shamet back next season, as both those players are likely not willing to take those offers and look for greener pastures in free agency.
Mitchell Robinson’s four-year, $60 million contract expires this summer, while Shamet was on a one-year veteran minimum deal ($3.08 million). The Knicks currently have 10 of their 15 roster spots filled with players on a contract with the team, but these two key pieces could be lost in free agency this summer.
Subsequently, James Dolan also appeared on Fox News, where he addressed a hypothetical scenario of what he would do if the world’s first trillionaire, Elon Musk, made an offer to buy a part of the Knicks or the whole team from Dolan.
“No, I don’t think we’re going to sell the team. We’ve been at this a long time, and I’m going to enjoy this team. But the stock of the team has gone up dramatically in the last year. But there’s really no reason for us to consider any of that. I think we’re just going to consider repeating,” said Dolan on Fox News.
So Dolan has not only detailed the plans for the Knicks’ short-term future but has also explained that if Elon Musk were to make an offer for part-ownership of the Knicks for the long-term future, Dolan would likely refuse.
James Dolan took over the operations of the Knicks in 1999 and waited 27 years to finally win his first NBA championship. I highly doubt there’s any amount of money that can quantify that feeling of relief and accomplishment with this team.
As a trillionaire, Elon Musk can apparently buy all the major sports leagues in America and still have money left over. But if he were to actually make an offer to buy the Knicks at a price that is considerably over the market valuation, do you think Dolan would consider selling the team? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
