Knicks Salary Cap Q & A

Aprons shmaprons. Let's simplify where the Knicks are at.

Good morning! Today’s newsletter was inspired by KFS Newsletter reader and frequent commenter Bill, who is a bit mystified at the current salary cap situation for the Knicks. Let’s clear things up, shall we?

Knicks Salary Cap Q & A

Back in the early years of our marriage, before our second daughter stomped on the remaining embers of our free time, my wife and I used to enjoy going to cooking classes. It was something we saved for special occasions, where one of us gave it to the other for an anniversary or birthday gift, but we always had a blast.

Here’s a picture from the night we learned how to make gnocchi:

What a delightful couple.

Anywho, for the first 35 or so years of my life, these cooking classes were the extent of my knowledge about aprons.

How I miss those times.

In the NBA under the current collective bargaining agreement, every team in the league is cognizant of the new apron rules, whether because they’re trying to avoid going over an apron, can’t go over an apron, or are taking advantage of others who are trying to duck an apron.

As a result, one of the most fun aspects of being a basketball fan - coming up with fake trades - has largely been taken from us. Some sites will still conjure trade ideas that are flatly illegal under the CBA, but if you really care about this stuff, you probably want to come up with something that can actually happen. More importantly, you want to know what your team can and can’t do.

Not to worry. While I can’t promise you’ll understand everything about the apron rules by the end of this newsletter, let’s at least come to a shared understanding of where the Knicks are, how they got here, and where they can go in the future. Class is officially in session…

Where are the Knicks where the aprons are concerned?

Right now, the Knicks are over the first apron and hard capped at the second apron.

Great! What the hell does that mean?

It means there’s some stuff they can do and other stuff they can’t do but they can still do more stuff than teams over the second apron but not as much as teams who aren’t hard capped at the second apron.

Can I have a hall pass?

No.

Let me simplify: if a team goes over a certain apron (aka, an arbitrary dollar amount the league has set), there’s a list of things they can’t do. We’ll get to those restrictions as they pertain to the Knicks in a bit, but it’s important to know that going over an apron doesn’t limit the amount you’re allowed to spend. It just means there’s some limitations on how you conduct your business.

But there are other things a team can do that will “trigger” a hard cap at a certain apron, meaning that if a team does one of those things, they cannot spend more than a certain amount.

In essence, going over an apron means you can’t do certain things, but doing certain other things means you can’t go over a particular apron.

What does it mean that the Knicks are hard capped at the second apron?