I went to sleep yesterday with the Knicks having nine players on their roster, and I woke up to the news that we now have ten. S/o mi hermano Jose Alvarado.
- Jose Alvarado officially welcomed himself back to New York after declining his player option on Friday, only to reportedly sign a three-year, $14-plus million deal with the Knicks. Hooray, José!
- If you can’t wait for Knicks basketball, you’re just two waits away from enjoying it. The NBA released the 2026 Summer League schedule, with games beginning July 10 in Las Vegas. Games against the Nets, Spurs, Pistons, and Warriors are guaranteed, with the semis and the finals potential extra matchups.
- Assuming everyone sticks around, I expect all of Jack Kayil, Tyler Nickel, Pacome Dadiet, Ariel Hukporti, Tyler Kolek, Mohamed Diawara and Kevin McCullar Jr. to get ample Summer League minutes. Kolek and Hukporti (maybe Mo too?) might be too much for SL players already, however, and might not even feature more than once for a few minutes of playing time. We’ll see how that goes.
- We spent the damn day covering the latest on Mitchell Robinson’s free agency and his likely exit from New York yesterday. Shouts out to everybody who posted in the comments section!
- In one of the updates I featured in the article I linked to a story published by The Athletic’s Fred Katz on Friday afternoon which shed some very serious and bright light on the second-apron saga. Katz reports that the front office wants to exceed the second apron to keep the championship roster together, but James Dolan still prefers staying below it.
“The Knicks’ front office understands that dipping below the second apron would lead to much of its depth flocking elsewhere, which is why, despite Dolan’s desires, it wants to go over the second apron, according to league sources, who were granted anonymity to speak freely. But so far, Dolan has not changed his mind.”
- Katz’s point is pretty simple. If the Knicks don’t spend, they’ll lose the depth that brought them the championship with almost no realistic way of replacing it. It’s probably the strongest case yet for simply paying the bill, and I think most fans (although nearly all of us are far from understanding all details about the CBA as Leon does) agree.
- Guerschon Yabusele keeps talking about his brief time with the Knicks. What I found most interesting and stressful at the same time was his comment about being offered the exact same deal by the Denver Nuggets, only for him to choose New York. Remember who (virtually) went the other way in the Jose Alvarado trade? Yeah, you guessed it right. Scary thoughts.
- Joseph Antonio Cartagena dropped a new track with Yung Miami and Jadakiss titled “Victory Lap,” with the clip filmed at the parade.
- One of the cooler Knicks-related reads I found today came from ClutchPoints, where hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash talked about finally seeing the Knicks win another title after waiting more than five decades for it. Born in 1958, the renowned DJ saw both the 1970 and 1973 titles and patiently waited for the third one. A sample:
“(Jalen Brunson) talks very low. If you’re sitting next to him and you don’t say nothing, he ain’t saying nothing to you. He’s very prolific if he knows how to write. Brunson and Rakim are almost the same. They’re not s–t poppers. They’re not braggadocious. It’s just I am who I am. When Brunson has a ball in his hands, when Rakim has a mic in his hands, it’s like, okay. Very dangerous, very dangerous, but very quiet.”
- Kevin Durant weighed in on the Knicks’ championship, although he couldn’t resist adding a little jab. Alas.
- Around the NBA, Jaylen Brown rumors keep escalating. Shams Charania says Boston has asked some teams for at least four first-round picks, while every insider seems increasingly convinced Brown eventually gets moved. Marc Stein says the Blazers are “actively pursuing” Brown.
- The Kings included a “make the NBA Finals” guarantee on DeMar DeRozan’s contract. The Kings are also expected to waive-and-stretch his deal. Not even sure what to make of this whole thing.
- Elsewhere in the rumor mill, LeBron James’ future looks murkier than ever, with Jake Fischer saying there are people around the league who believe leaving the Lakers may now be more likely than staying. Shams says the Lakers haven’t offered anything to LBJ for now, with FA kicking off in less than a week.
- Meanwhile, Dan Gilbert discussed Comic Sans.
I keep banging updates on the Mitchell Robinson post as I get them, so don’t hesitate to bring them to my attention in the comments section so everybody can read them. Go outside, sunbathe, take some fresh air, enjoy the day.
