New York Knicks

Are the New York Knicks over the apron in 2026-27?

Yes, both of them. The Knicks are $2.5M past the second apron for 2026-27.

Apron payroll

$224.2M

First apron

$209.0M (-$15.2M)

Second apron

$221.7M (-$2.5M)

Their apron payroll is $224.2M against a second-apron line of $221.7M. That is the harshest tier in the CBA: no mid-level exception of any kind, no combining salaries in trades, no sending cash, and a frozen future first-round pick.

Practically, a second-apron team can only re-sign its own players with Bird rights and add veteran minimums.

The rule behind this

The second apron is the NBA's harshest spending line, introduced in the 2023 CBA. It sits roughly $20M above the luxury-tax line.

What is the second apron? →What is the first apron? →What is the veteran minimum? →

More Knicks questions

Do the New York Knicks have cap space in 2026-27?Are the New York Knicks in the luxury tax in 2026-27?Do the New York Knicks have the mid-level exception in 2026-27?Can the New York Knicks sign a max free agent in 2026-27?Who are the New York Knicks free agents in 2026-27?What draft picks do the New York Knicks have?

Numbers come straight from the live Knicks cap sheet, recomputed whenever the data updates.