Knicks GM Leon Rose has been on a roll this summer and his latest move pushed the boundaries of what was possible. According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Knicks’ trade for Karl-Anthony Towns this week was made using a newly discovered loophole in the CBA.
“The Knicks have discovered a new loophole in the CBA. Teams in their situation cannot aggregate minimums anymore. So in the sign and trades of Jeffries, Brown and Washington, they are paying each of those guys just $1 above the minimum, league sources tell The Athletic. I have heard from various people that the league isn’t thrilled about this — but such is the way it goes with new CBAs. The NBA tries to close up loopholes and then smart people working for teams find new ones.”
The Knicks are only days removed from their trade which sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and a first-round pick to the Timberwolves in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns. Most experts agree it’s an upgrade for the Knicks and that’s a relief given that they exploited the CBA to get it done.
The Knicks knew they had to make some moves this summer to contend in the East but, per the new CBA, they were not in a position to stack minimum-level contracts to balance salaries. So to get Towns without giving up a significant piece of their core, the Knicks opted to pay their newly acquired players (from a sign-and-trade deal) to just a single dollar over the minimum.
Essentially, the Knicks inflated their outgoing salary so they could comply with the new CBA and facilitate the biggest trade of the offseason. While the NBA itself is less than pleased with this development, there’s nothing that can be done given that the CBA is already finalized and set.
All-in-all, it’s a brilliant move by the Knicks’ front office who outsmarted their peers and beat them to the punch on a loophole that helped to land them an All-Star. With Towns now in tow, and on the books for another four years, $220 million, the Knicks can rest easy knowing they have built one of the strongest core lineups in the NBA.
After averaging 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game last season, Towns proved that he’s one of the league’s best big men and he’ll be joining a Knicks team that finished 2nd in the East last season under head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Between Towns, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart, the Knicks have a reliable and talented core that is eager to prove themselves as a threat for the title. Clearly, with a front office willing to exploit the rules, they are committed to doing whatever it takes to improve the team and get closer to their goal of winning a championship.
Now that the loophole has gone public, we can expect other teams to follow the Knicks‘ example and take similar measures to build their rosters. Until the next CBA negotiations, there’s nothing that the NBA can do to stop it and it could be the move that makes the final difference when it’s all said and done.
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