740 million yuan was spent! The Knicks have been trapped in the Five Tigers for at least 3 years, and they will face a good opportunity to advance to the Finals next season

After renewing Mikal Bridges with 150 million early contracts in 4 years, the Knicks' starting five-time tiger Brunson, Towns, Bridges, Anunobi and Hart have at least three years left in contracts, and in this team, Hart, the oldest in this team, is just 30 years old. The Knicks and Five Tigers are all at the golden age of basketball players. The Knicks are expected to become the Eastern Conference strong team in the next three years and belong to the top four teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks have spent a lot of money on Wuhu in recent years. After the early renewal, Bridges' contract has 5 years and $175 million left, Brunson has 4 years and $156 million left, Anunobi has 4 years and $175 million left, Towns has 3 years and $171 million left, and Hart has 3 years and $62 million left. The total salary of the remaining contract of the Knicks Five Tigers reached about $740 million.

Knicks' total player salary in the 2025-26 season reached US$205 million, ranking fourth in the league. The salary cap for the 2025-26 season is US$154.647 million, and the luxury tax collection line is US$187.895 million. The Knicks will have to pay a considerable luxury tax next season. However, for the Knicks, they can fully afford the luxury tax. Even when the Knicks have to pay luxury tax, the team still makes money when the league is in the bottom line. This is because the Knicks are backed by the big market and go to Madison Square Garden to watch the football, which is regarded as one of the regular operations of celebrities. The Knicks' ticket price is at the top of the league.

Now that the Knicks have become the Eastern Conference again, ticket revenue and commercial sponsorship revenue will naturally rise further. Moreover, the Knicks can indeed make it to the finals next season. After all, the two major powerhouses in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics and the Pacers, both fell down. Tatum and Halliburton both suffered a torn Achilles tendon injury and are likely to not return next season. These two teams are equivalent to withdrawing from the Eastern Conference championship competition.

The Knicks can definitely compete with the Cavaliers, the Bucks, and the 76ers. If the Knicks can reach the finals, the team's revenue will rise sharply. For the Knicks, they have a lot to do with this team retaining for at least three years.

This summer, the Knicks introduced two major players, Clarkson and Yabuselle, which improved the team's lineup depth and strengthened both the outside and inside. It is somewhat regrettable that the Knicks' plan to pursue superstars failed this summer. Antetokounmpo will not apply for a deal, and the Knicks has no chance to get this super giant.

With the current lineup of the Knicks, there is still some gap compared with the Western Conference Powerhouse Thunder and the Nuggets. The Knicks lack a superstar who can really make a final decision. Brunson's strength is still a little worse. After all, the two championship teams, the Thunder and the Nuggets, have MVP-level players in charge.

For the Knicks, returning to the Eastern Conference quarterfinals last season is already a good progress. But now the Knicks executives want more breakthroughs, they fired Thibodeau and hired Mike Brown as the head coach, revealing their ambitions. Entering the second round of the playoffs does not satisfy the Knicks' senior management, they want to strive for the championship.

The Knicks have not had an MVP-level superstar in charge for a long time. Once upon a time, many superstars were reluctant to go to the Knicks because the Knicks became a bad team for a time. But now the Knicks have risen again. If they can break through the first round of the playoffs for multiple consecutive seasons and even reach the finals once, I believe that there will be super giants willing to take the initiative to join the Knicks in the future.