The New York Knicks are still basking in the glory of their historic championship after 53 years, but the front office is already facing a massive financial puzzle about the team’s long-term future. Knicks owner, James Dolan didn’t even wait for the rings to be made before he made his priorities clear. According to ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, star center Karl-Anthony Towns holds the key to whether this newly crowned core can stay together within Dolan’s financial limits.

Speaking on Get Up, Windhorst said, “In all honesty, that’s the biggest question of the Knicks offseason,” Windhorst stated. “So Karl [Anthony] Towns is under contract for next season. He’ll be back. He’ll be the starting center. He’ll be there on ring night.”

Windhorst emphasized that Towns’ stellar postseason performance solidified his fit in New York against the criticism that followed him from Minnesota.

“The way he was used in this postseason, it’s hard to not see him as with this team for the majority of the rest of his career.”

However, that long-term reality comes with an astronomical price tag that will affect the rest of the roster.

“But he is in position to get a contract extension that’s going to approach $70 million a year on average. And he has earned it. He has shown that he is an elite center in this league, a championship player.”

Windhorst explained that Karl-Anthony Towns’ potential $70 million is a big dilemma while maintaining championship depth. “But the Knicks are not going to be able to afford that type of player. They’d re-sign him. But I don’t know if they’d be able to keep the team together.”

The ESPN veteran noted that while superstar Jalen Brunson famously took less money to help the team, and Mikal Bridges “took a little less than he could have last year,” it remains an anomaly, not an expectation.

“I don’t expect anybody in the history of the NBA to do what Jalen Brunson did,” Windhorst admitted, putting the ultimate decision squarely on Towns.

James Dolan rings second apron bells before Karl-Anthony Towns’ extension talks

Recent definitive statements from Knicks owner James Dolan regarding the league’s luxury tax thresholds add the pressure for this roster. Appearing on The Carton Show on WFAN, Dolan made it clear that while he is entirely willing to spend on a winner, the CBA imposes rigid penalties that even his deep pockets cannot bypass.

“There’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron,” Dolan bluntly stated. “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.”

After hearing this, any Knicks player entering contract negotiations would have to reflect on their own priorities.

Dolan’s strict hard-line stance means that if the Knicks want to avoid the roster-building restrictions that come with the second apron, players will have to sacrifice financially.

Until recently, analysts feared that Brunson’s sacrifice to win a chip was going to become a precedent to force team-friendly contracts on superstars.

But Windhorst perfectly encapsulated that players like KAT can’t be forced to lowball themselves unless they decide to.

Windhorst outlined a scenario where both Towns and another core piece compromise to preserve New York’s championship window.

“If Karl Towns is willing to take a little bit of a haircut, you know, $7-10 million over the course of multiple seasons and Josh Hart is also extension eligible this summer, if both of them are willing to take a little bit of a haircut, you could see this core staying together for three, four, five years.”

This is still a hypothesis right now. Ultimately, if Towns, who has been an underrated player for most of his career, decides to prioritize his full worth through a max extension, Dolan’s financial boundaries mean keeping this beloved roster together past next season will be nearly impossible.