After the Knicks won their first championship in 53 years, immediately came talk of a potential repeat.
Bringing back such a deep and capable team to “run it back” certainly won’t be easy.
In an appearance on WFAN’s “The Carton Show” on Wednesday, Knicks owner James Dolan made one promise on how he will go about building his team going forward.
Owner James Dolan looks on during the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ NBA title-clinching Game 5 win over the Spurs at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio. Getty Images
“There’s 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,” Dolan said. “I’ll write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron.”
The second apron is around $222 million, and the Knicks have some things to think about in terms of who might come back if they want to avoid the harsh roster-building penalties that come with breaking the threshold.
Eight players are under contract for next season, but there are three free agents — Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet and Mohamed Diawara — that they must make decisions on if they want to keep the same team next season.
Alongside the players under contract, the Knicks have the 24th pick in the NBA draft, and Jose Alvarado has a $4.5 million player option.
Mitchell Robinson (left) and Jalen Brunson celebrate after winning the NBA Finals. NBAE via Getty Images
Should the team have 10 guys on the books, and if they want to bring all three of their free agents back, it will be very difficult for them to remain under the second apron.
If Dolan is as committed as he sounds to remaining under the second apron, he and team president Leon Rose might struggle to fit all of his present players into the picture.
One of the most important parts of this year’s squad was the bench, and keeping it the same in hopes of winning a second consecutive Larry O’Brien Trophy will cost the Knicks.
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After a 53-year drought, the New York Knicks turned the city blue and orange — bringing home the NBA Championship Trophy for the first time since 1973.
As the hometown paper of New York, we’re celebrating the newly crowned kings of the city by changing our name, in print and across digital — for one day only — to the Knick York Post.
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 30: James McCann #8 of the Arizona Diamondbacks the catcher pitches in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on April 30, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Diamondbacks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
At the start of the year, and through the early weeks of the season, it felt like Arizona could almost have assembled a full roster of players on one of the injured lists. However, it now feels like the tide may have turned, and the team are now looking to get these players back and available again. For this week’s question, I want to take a look at one player who returned this week, and three who should be returning in future, and see which one you think will have the most impact. To that end, I purposely excluded Corbin Burnes and A.J. Puk, because they are really going to be back in September, if at all. That’s a little too far out for purposes here.
But here are the four candidates, in alphabetical order.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
He’s already back, having rejoined the team on June 15, and contributed a key RBI hit in that night’s 4-3 win over the Angels. Gurriel had missed the least amount of time of the four candidates, having been out for 21 games with a left hamstring strain. But he also missed the first twenty games this year recovering from ACL surgery in his other leg. The results have been underwhelming so far, with just a .563 OPS and worth -0.4 bWAR. He’ll need to pick up the pace significantly – and also, avoid further IL stints – if he wants the team to pick up his $14 million option for next season.
James McCann
McCann has been out for almost exactly a month, hitting the IL on May 19 with a strain of his right quadriceps – not something you want as a catcher. However, Torey Lovullo said on Monday that James will start playing in the Arizona Complex League next week. While the backup catcher spot is perhaps not particularly important, the fact that in his absence, the role has been filled by Aramis Garcia (OPS+ 28) and Adrian Del Castillo (55) mean there’s definite room for improvement. That’s in addition to McCann’s good reputation for calling games and working with the pitching staff. And besides, we need his arm out of the bullpen. 🙂
Justin Martinez
We haven’t heard much about J-Mart of late. He was originally expected to be the last of our three big pitching pieces back, but it now looks like he’ll beat Puk and Burnes. The last update was on May 10, when Torey Lovullo said Martinez had started throwing bullpens, and was already hitting 99 mph. It is his second Tommy John procedure, so caution is to be expected. But an August return would potentially be a valuable addition to the bullpen for the Diamondbacks, if they are looking to make a second-half push for a postseason spot. The bullpen, while much better than some years, still ranks only mid-table by most metrics.
Carlos Santana
Yeah, I know… However, the bar for the D-backs at 1B has been so incredibly low, that he might still actually be of help. Going into today’s game – where LuJames Groover went 0-for-4, so didn’t help – Arizona’s OPS at 1B was just .569. That is the lowest at the position for a season, by any major-league team since 1920. If Santana could simply hit, not even at his career average, but simply the figure he posted over 124 games last year for the Guardians and Cubs, the resulting ..633 OPS would be a clear improvement over what we’ve received in his absence. With Groover’s OPS now starting with a “3” after today, I suspect he’ll be the move made.
So, which of the players listed above, do you think will have the biggest impact on the team when they return? Here’s a poll, and as ever, feel free to explain yourself in the comments below!
Apr 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring (8) attempts a shot against the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
BUFFALO (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres are moving on from defenseman Michael Kesselring.
Buffalo sent the 26-year-old Kesselring and the 27th overall pick in the upcoming NHL draft to San Jose on Wednesday for the 20th overall selection.
The Sabres acquired Kesselring in a trade with Utah in June 2025, hoping the 6-foot-5 blueliner would provide some physicality and grit to Buffalo’s defensive core.
Injuries, however, intervened. Kesselring had just two assists in 34 games with the Atlantic Division-winning Sabres. He appeared in just one playoff game, seeing a scant 4 minutes, 25 seconds of ice time.
“Michael has a big frame with solid two-way ability,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. “He is a responsible player in the defensive zone with a well-rounded offensive game, and will be a good upgrade for us patrolling the blueline.”
Kesselring, a sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft, has 12 goals and 43 assists in 190 career games with Arizona, Utah and Buffalo.
The Knicks celebrate their title.Photograph: Ronald Cortes/Getty Images
New York Knicks owner James Dolan says his team will become the first NBA champions to visit Donald Trump at the White House.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan said during an appearance on WFAN New York on Wednesday. “We still have to figure out the details … but yes, of course. Look, I invited the president to come down for [last week’s Game 3 of the NBA finals]. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”
The visit may not go down well with large sections of the Knicks fanbase. The president was greeted with boos and jeers when he appeared on the jumbotron at Madison Square Garden at the start of Game 3. The reception was unsurprising: NBA fans skew liberal and the Knicks play in a city that firmly backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
It is also questionable how many of the Knicks players will attend. Forward Josh Hart celebrated Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election by calling Trump a “dumbass” on social media. Other players may be more supportive: center Mitchell Robinson is a registered Republican and called Trump’s visit to MSG “cool, I guess”.
Last season’s NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, did not visit the White House due to a “timing issue”.
Title-winning teams in major US sports have traditionally received invitations from the president to visit the White House after their victories. Such visits have become politically fraught during Trump’s two terms in power.
The last NBA champions to visit the White House were the Boston Celtics in 2024, during Biden’s presidency.
The Golden State Warriors chose not to visit Trump’s White House after their 2017 title – he later said he had withdrawn their invitation – and they were not invited after their 2018 championship.The Warriors had visited while Barack Obama was in office, and made the trip under Biden’s administration after their 2022 title.
The 2019 champion Toronto Raptors did not visit while Trump was in office, with players ruling out a trip before an invitation had been offered, and the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers skipped their visit to Biden’s White House because of pandemic health and safety protocols.
BOSTON (AP) — Max Scherzer is back on the injured list.
The Toronto Blue Jays placed the three-time Cy Young winner on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with back spasms. The move came hours before Scherzer was scheduled to start against the Boston Red Sox.
Toronto will use reliever Braydon Fisher as an opener against Boston instead.
Scherzer, who turns 42 next month, spent more than six weeks on the injured list this season with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. He returned last week and became the 11th pitcher in major league history to reach 3,500 career strikeouts when he fanned Philadelphia slugger Kyle Schwarber.
The moment proved to be the highlight as Scherzer was pulled after giving up five runs in 3 1/3 innings in what became a 7-4 loss to the Phillies.
Scherzer, who signed a $3-million, one-year deal to return to Toronto in the offseason, is 1-4 with a 10.23 ERA in six starts with the Blue Jays in 2026.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 17: Andrew Painter #24 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the top of the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on June 17, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After Wednesday’s 12-4 defeat to the Miami Marlins where Andrew Painter surrendered six runs in just two innings of work, the Phillies will be shaking up the back of their rotation by optioning Andrew Painter to AAA.
The Phillies have tried everything with Painter. They’ve tweaked his usage in certain starts to limit fastball damage, they’ve used an opener, and they gave him 14 appearances to figure this out. With a 7.06 ERA in 65.0 innings pitched, nothing stuck long enough.
Through roughly the first two and a half months of the season, the Phillies have cycled through their number five and six starting pitching options from the big league roster. They went into the season with Taijuan Walker making starts with Zack Wheeler injured but he was released after just 22.2 innings of work because he had an ERA over 9.
Alan Rangel is already on the 40-man roster and pitched for the Phillies earlier this year when they had Kyle Backhus open for the aforementioned Walker in the middle of their ten game losing streak. Rangel has looked solid, albeit not super inspiring with the Pigs, carrying a 3.74 ERA in 65.0 innings.
Maybe the Phillies try bullpen games to patch things until the trade deadline. The bullpen lost a key leverage arm in Brad Keller to the injured list but have built up plenty of depth through minor league signings and waiver claims. They have the options to make it work even if it’s not an ideal scenario to go through every fifth day.
Whatever path the Phillies go down, it will be without Andrew Painter, as he heads down to Lehigh Valley to figure out who he is moving forward.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 13: Closing pitcher Cade Smith #36 celebrates with Brayan Rocchio #4 of the Cleveland Guardians after the game against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on June 13, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Guardians defeated the Tigers 3-1. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We're almost a week away from the 2026 NHL Draft, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are likely making their final preparations for it.
They're set to have the No. 22 pick in the first round next Friday night and one player who could be available to them is Adam Novotny.
Novotny spent the 2025-26 season with the Peterborough Petes in the OHL and had a great season, finishing with 34 goals and 65 points in 58 games. He also had one assist in six playoff games.
He was one of several players to meet with the Penguins at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo earlier this month and really appreciated the meeting.
"They showed you your clips, usually negative ones. But, obviously, I think they just want to hear how you're going to react to "many failures," if I could say it like that. And I think I did well," Novotny said. "I think they told me I did a good job, so it was nice. I like my coaches to be honest with me. [For] all the people around, I just want to hear the truth, not walk around something and not be honest. I always appreciate that feedback, and how is that going to get better, right? So, for sure, I was happy for that."
The first thing that jumps out about Novotny is his shot. He can really rifle the puck, and he's not afraid to use it. One of my favorite examples of this came in overtime against the Brantford Bulldogs. Novotny came into the zone on a two-on-one rush and slowed up a little bit before unleashing a beautiful shot for the OT winner. The Bulldogs' goaltender had no chance on it.
He scored some nice one-timers on the power play from the right circle, and was set up from the left circle as well. Speaking of the power play, he really moves around on it, which often confuses the opposing penalty killers. Sometimes he'd be on the left or right circles, and other times he'd be at the point or behind the net.
Sticking with special teams, he can also play on the penalty kill and had a beautiful shorthanded goal against the Niagara IceDogs. He came in on a breakaway and made a sick backhand move for a goal.
Novotny also showcased his speed on that goal, which is another strong element of his game. He's a good skater with a nice first burst and also skates with a ton of power. He's hard to knock the puck off of once he gets moving.
Don't sleep on Novotny's play around the net, either. He likes to crash the crease and get his nose dirty in those battle areas. With his size, he's tough to move once he's there.
He still needs some work as a playmaker, but that could come as he continues to develop. He did have some nice plays where he set up teammates for goals, but I still felt his playmaking was lacking a bit.
I liked his effort and compete level throughout the season, too. He does a solid job of getting back to help defensively and never gives up on a play.
If he's there at 22, I can definitely see the Penguins looking at him, since he has many of the traits they look for in a draft pick.
New York Knicks guards Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart throw out the first pitch prior to the game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 17, 2026.
Before they take a ride down the Canyon of Heroes on Thursday morning, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart made a pit stop at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.
The newly crowned NBA champions threw out the ceremonial first pitches before the Yankees hosted the White Sox, and the two Knicks received a loud ovation from the crowd as the city continued to soak up the franchise’s first title in 53 years.
“I know [Thursday’s] just going to be otherworldly as far as a parade goes,” manager Aaron Boone said. “But it’ll be great to see those guys tonight. I’m sure they’re having a pretty good week.”
New York Knicks guards Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart throw out the first pitch prior to the game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 17, 2026. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart toss out first pitches at Yankee Stadium after securing the New York Knicks' first NBA championship in 53 years pic.twitter.com/V7eFvdriys
Boone, a 76ers fan at heart, described the Knicks’ 16-3 showing in the playoffs as “a captivating run” that will have a lasting impact.
“I think it’ll be one of the historic teams that we talk about when it comes to the NBA,” Boone said. “Every championship is obviously memorable and going back to [Michael] Jordan and that run and the Lakers and the Celtics, what the Warriors [did], on and on, however you want to look at it. I think this team, in the annals of the NBA, will be talked about for a long, long time.”
After throwing all of his pitches “with good intensity” Tuesday in his first full bullpen session since going on the injured list with a left elbow bone bruise last month, Max Fried reported feeling good on Wednesday, the latest positive sign in his comeback.
The left-hander will still need to show improved healing in his elbow before he is cleared to fully ramp up towards a return, but assuming he continues to bounce back well in the coming days, Fried will throw another bullpen session this weekend.
“Just talking to him today, he said, ‘I felt great during it and then feel good coming into today,’” Boone said. “So it’s been encouraging, really every step of the way, since even the couple days after the Baltimore start when he went on the IL. He’s responded well to everything, which I’m hoping is a really good sign for him and for us long-term.”
Facing White Sox lefty Anthony Kay (who had drastic left/right splits) on Wednesday, Boone started José Caballero in left field, Cody Bellinger in center field and Jasson Domínguez in right field.
Bellinger moving to center for a day opened up left field for Domínguez, but instead Boone opted to keep him in his new home in right to get him a steady dose of reps there to see if it can work moving forward.
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Boone did not have an update on George Lombard Jr., the club’s top prospect who left Tuesday’s Triple-A game early after getting his left wrist/hand jammed while covering second base on a steal. … Austin Wells (cervical headaches) came through his first rehab game Tuesday without issue and was scheduled to start at catcher again on Wednesday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before its game got rained out.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 6: Shane McClanahan #18 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts in the dugout after exiting the game against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at loanDepot park on June 6, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Sam Navarro/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Rays tried their best to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers and a 1-5 road trip, but came up just a bit short this afternoon losing their fourth of four 1-run games on this west coast trip.
The team came into the contest on a 16-inning scoreless streak having last scored a run in the second inning of the opening game in this series, and for awhile, it looked as if that streak could get much longer. Through four innings, Shohei Ohtani held the offense at bay scattering two hits over four innings while lowering his ERA to 1.00 on the season. Ohtani came into the 5th inning with a two-run lead that could have been much worse after a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts led to the first run after a single by Alex Call. Call then easily stole second off the battery of Shane McClanahan and Hunter Feduccia, who then came around to score on a Alex Freeland single after a walk to Dalton Rushing. Tommy Edman would then walk, but Casey Legumina was able to strand the bases loaded by getting the National League’s RBI leader, Andy Pages, to line out softly to Taylor Walls.
The Rays came into the top of the 5th having not scored in 20 consecutive innings before finally showing some life offensively. Victor Mesa Jr. led the inning off with a walk before Feduccia lined a double deep to left center giving the Rays more runners in scoring position than they had in yesterday’s game. Walls drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly, followed up with consecutive singles by Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda. Cedric Mullins then went on to hit what was scored an infield single which was aided by a slow initial reaction by Ohtani to cover the bag. The single gave Mullins at least one hit against all 30 major league teams over the course of his career. Junior Caminero drove in Diaz on a fielder’s choice that involved two athletic plays on both ends by Tommy Edman and Freeland to prevent things from getting worse. Yet another single in the inning, this time by Richie Palacios, gave the club a two-run lead before the rally was ended by Chandler Simpson bunting into the third out.
A leadoff walk to Freddie Freeman followed by consecutive well-aimed soft contact balls by Betts and Miguel Rojas loaded the bases with nobody out. Garrett Cleavinger came in to relieve Legumina and walked Kyle Tucker in a nine-pitch at bat in which Tucker chased early, but then tightened up his zone and drew the walk after fouling off several close sweepers:
That run would miraculously be the only run of the inning as Cleavinger would go on to induce weak contact flyouts to both Alex Call and Dalton Rushing before overpowering UCF’s Alex Freeland weith three sliders much to the delight of USF alum Shane McClanahan.
The game would remain 4-3 until a one-out double by Andy Pages was followed by a two-run homer to Freddie Freeman on a pitch Feduccia wanted on the other side of the plate and Kelly simply missed his spot in the worst possible place to a lefty, let alone one destined for Cooperstown when it is all said and done:
Kevin Cash would go on to nearly empty the bench in the later innings to counter the lefties coming out of the pen in Jack Dreyer and Alex Vesia, and it nearly worked. Austin Slater drew a leadoff walk from Vesia in the 9th and subsequently swiped second base. Ben Williamson and Walls had two unproductive outs, but an intentional walk to Diaz and yet another walk to Aranda brought Mullins to the plate with the bases loaded. Mullins chased a high fastball in a 1-0 count before spitting on two other fastballs and swingingly helplessly at two sliders that would end the game.
The Rays were held scoreless in 24 of the final 25 innings of this series and have the overnight flight home tonight to reset before taking on the surging Nationals this weekend. Neither starting pitcher had a great line in this game. Ohtani has now allowed three or more earned runs in consecutive starts while McClanahan ended a 10-game streak of walking two or fewer batters in his outings. He had 11 batters in his last 10 starts after the consecutive four-walk outings early in the season. The Dodgers were incredibly disciplined in this outing chasing just 13 of McClanahan’s offering out of the zone and were also aided by several ABS overturns on what would have been 2025 strikeouts.
It appears Jonny DeLuca will be back for this weekend to give the club some much-needed help in the lineup, and perhaps that playing time comes at the expense of Simpson who is now mired in a 3 for 44 slump wrapped around the hand issue that hit him in May. The club needs to find some type of offense spark to snap out of this cold stretch which has seen them lose too much ground in the standings and now have an 11-16 record in Interleague play with six more interleague contests coming up on this 10-game homestand. Hopefully they can find a way to snap out of this June swoon.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 12: Sean Sullivan #45 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Athletics during the third inning of a game at Las Vegas Ballpark on June 12, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a disappointing loss on Monday, the Colorado Rockies rallied back on Tuesday night with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs to tie up the series. Now, they will turn to a rookie starting pitcher for his second career appearance as they look to snag a series victory.
Sean Sullivan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) takes the mound for the Rockies for the second time. His last start in Las Vegas against the Athletics looked good for three innings before it was cut short. Sullivan had to depart the game because he had been feeling ill before, during, and after the start. Heat stroke didn’t help matters either. Still, he showed off how effective he can be as a pitcher despite averaging a fastball under 90 mph. While the Cubs have been in a tough place lately, they still have some dangerous hitters who should prove to be another worthwhile challenge for the young lefty.
Javier Assad (4-1, 3.99 ERA) takes the mound for the Cubs. Assad started the year in the rotation for the Cubs but was moved to the bullpen after three mixed starts. He made five relief appearances after that before being optioned to Triple-A in mid-May, where he struggled to a 7.31 ERA over five starts. Assad was recalled to the Cubs on June 6 as a rotation reinforcement and has looked good in his two starts. Since returning, he has thrown 12.1 scoreless innings, having surrendered just four hits and two walks while striking out 10. He has made six appearances, including five starts, against the Rockies in his career, while sporting a 4.94 ERA. His last start against Colorado came in 2025, where he allowed three runs over six innings at Coors Field.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 27: San Francisco Giants pitcher Carson Whisenhunt (88) pitches in the first inning of a MLB game against the Chicago Cubs on August 27, 2025 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants have another doubleheader today, after their eventual 7-2 win over the Atlanta Braves was paused in the second inning on Tuesday, and finished earlier today.
Because of the doubleheader, the teams are given a 27th player for the second game, and that’s exciting for the Giants, because it means the season debut of lefty Carson Whisenhunt, who will make the start. Whisenhunt has pitched in 14 games for AAA Sacramento this year, and is 5-2 with a 3.65 ERA, a 3.61 FIP, and 77 strikeouts to 30 walks in 69 innings. The one thing he’s struggled this year is going deep into games due to a constantly high pitch count, but that’s not as big of an issue today as it sometimes is in doubleheaders, as San Francisco only used two relievers (Dylan Smith and Caleb Kilian) in the first game of the day.
In addition to calling up Whisenhunt, the Giants made a move between games, calling up lefty reliever Matt Gage, while optioning lefty reliever Reiver Sanmartin.
Atlanta is sticking with their scheduled starter, after finishing the first game with a bullpen showing. That means righty JR Ritchie will take the mound. Ritchie is in his debut season, and turns 23 later this month. He’s appeared in six games this year, while making five starts, and is 1-1 with a 3.82 ERA, a 5.15 FIP, and 26 strikeouts to 18 walks in 30.2 innings. He threw five shutout innings against the New York Mets his last time out.
President Donald Trump came to see the Knicks at Madison Square Garden for the NBA Finals.
Now, the champs are returning the favor.
Knicks owner James Dolan confirmed Wednesday during an interview on WFAN that the team will go to the White House to be feted by the president.
The Knicks celebrate their Game 5 win over the Spurs to clinch the NBA title. Charles Wenzelberg / NY PostTrump at NBA Finals Game 3. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
It will mark the first time an NBA champion is visiting the White House in either of Trump’s two terms.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan said when asked about a potential visit to the nation’s capital. “We still have to figure out the details, et cetera, but yes, of course. Look, I invited the president to come down for the game. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”
Rumors were floating online that the Knicks had declined a formal visit, but a White House official told Vanity Fair earlier Wednesday that the speculation was far from the truth.
“This is fake news,” the official told the outlet. “The White House congratulates the Knicks on their championship win and looks forward to discussing a visit in the near future.”
UFC Freedom 250 at the White House. KENNY HOLSTON/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock
Trump, a New York native and Knicks fan, became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game when he came to New York for Game 3. He sat in a suite with his granddaughter, Kai, and Dolan. He was shown on the video board during the national anthem.
After the Knicks rallied to win Game 5 in San Antonio, securing their first NBA championship in 53 years, Trump extolled their efforts in a post on social media.
“Congratulations to Jim Dolan and the New York Knicks!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “What incredible playoff wins we have all witnessed, especially the last four — maybe the greatest in the history of basketball.
“Also tonight, a superstar was born. His name is Jalen Brunson, and there are others, including Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and great patriot Mitchell Robinson!”
The Celtics were the last team to visit the White House in 2024 when Joe Biden was still commander in chief.
Turnover in professional sports is common, especially when it's a salary cap sport.
But after the Knicks' generational run culminated with their first NBA Championship in 53 years, is it possible that notable names won't be returning next season?
Well, Knicks owner James Dolan was a guest on WFAN's Carton Show on Wednesday and was asked what the chances are that some players won't be returning, and Dolan was honest.
"If we could bring back the whole team, exactly as is, why wouldn’t you?" he said. "I don’t know if we’ll be able to...
We’re willing to stretch, but there's 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."
The second apron in the NBA is, essentially, a cap that penalizes teams that overspend.
Dolan points out that most of their team is under contract, a few guys aren't, but he'll leave the roster construction to team president Leon Rose and he's willing to spend big, just not go into that second apron.
"I'll write as big of a check as possible, but I can't write a check that goes into the second apron," Dolan said.
"There's 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. I'll write as big of a check as possible, but I can't write a check that goes into the second apron."
So, what does that mean for the Knicks? It's hard to say, but Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film Skool put it succinctly on social media.
The second apron is set at $222 million with the five starters (Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns), Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado making $200 million. To fill a 14-player roster, the Knicks will have to make some hard decisions to stay under the second apron.
The biggest question mark is Mitchell Robinson. The longest-tenured Knick is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will likely get a big payday on the open market. He made nearly $13 million this past season. The big man could be the first casualty of the Knicks' offseason.
Alvarado does have a player option that would pay him $4.5 million next season. If he doesn't exercise it and hits the market, that would free up space, but the assumption is that the guard will stay with the Knicks.
Other notable unrestricted free agents to be are Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson and Jeremy Sochan.
Ariel Hukport and Mohamed Diawara are restricted free agents.
