A few predictions for the Knicks 2026-27 season

It feels great to say this: the defending NBA Champion New York Knicks begin their title defense against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night ahead of what should be an exciting season.

Better yet, the Knicks are basically running it back. The entire starting five is returning along with most of the bench. The lone difference: veteran Andre Drummond is the new backup center after Mitchell Robinson signed with the rival Celtics in free agency.

There aren’t too many key questions with the Knicks ahead of the new season. All bases are covered, and the rest of the Eastern Conference’s response to New York winning the chip? Panic and retool on the fly, and cue the Celtics trading star wing Jaylen Brown for…36-year-old Paul George.

NY sports betting apps have the Knicks slated for 52.5 wins. Is that enough to win another championship ring? Grab a DraftKings promo code if you’re bullish on the over.

Let’s take a look at how the new season might unfold at Madison Square Garden.

Josh Hart signs his extension

This has been the talk of the preseason: Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns are both eligible for extensions. Hart is due $20.9 million this year with a team option for next year. KAT, on the other hand, is earning $57 million and can opt out of his contract after the season. Hart can sign for four years and $132 million, Towns for four years and $276 million

Cue worries about the feared second apron and attached salary cap/luxury tax penalties, and the Knicks have since tabled extension talks for both. Per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, Hart doesn’t seem too concerned.

“Everything is going to work out. I’m not really too stressed over it,” said the veteran swingman. “I’m not putting too much into it. We have expectations, so it’s good we are able to focus on the season.”

Hart also noted last month that “it’s a business,” but noted that “it might be a different situation” if things haven’t moved by midseason.

This being said, there’s no reason the Knicks shouldn’t get a deal done with Hart, even after injuries limited him to 66 games last year. He’s still a unique, versatile talent whose energy on and off the court isn’t easily replaced. More importantly, Hart lives in Greenwich with his wife and sons, and is best friends with Jalen Brunson. He’s not going anywhere.

KAT, meanwhile, does not

Unlike Hart, Towns is vocally frustrated that his extension has not been completed. His situation is a bit more complicated than Hart’s in that he had until Monday to decline his player option for next year in order to negotiate his extension with the Knicks in-season. Knowing that could mean leaving $61 million on the table, Towns did not decline it.

“Simply put, I want to do something that can keep the team together and work with the Knicks and also values me,” he said earlier this month. “None of those things have come close to happening.”

New York has reportedly offered KAT a four-year deal worth $200 million, which is more than fair. Karl-Anthony Towns is talented, but turns 31 in November. His 20.1 points per game were actually his lowest scoring average in three years, and Towns’ three-point shooting also dipped.

Extending the guy isn’t a bad idea, but not for max contract money. Not for a slowing down, scoring seven-footer who has already had his fair share of injuries.

Jalen Brunson gets MVP votes

Looking at Jalen Brunson’s entire Knicks tenure just shows how meaningless the term “MVP” has become in sports. In the NBA’s case, last year’s finalists were three highly talented players: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembenyama, and Nikola Jokic. SGA wound up taking home his second consecutive trophy.

What do these three men all have in common? They all have a knack for stuffing their stat sheets. SGA is a long and athletic scoring point guard who led his Oklahoma City Thunder to a championship in 2025. Jokic is a three-time MVP coming off of back-to-back seasons in which he averaged a triple double, and somehow finished second to Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP race. Wembenyama is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and a scoring and blocking machine.

Where’s Brunson, the man who carries the Knicks on his back and was the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year two years ago? The best he finished in the MVP race was fifth in 2022-23, when he averaged a career-high 28 points per game and shot 40.1% from three.

Last season, posting 26 points and 6.8 assists per contest with modest shooting percentages of 46.7% from the field and nearly 37% from three, he didn’t even place. The Finals MVP Brunson certainly had the last laugh.

Needless to say, the media has no choice but to pay actual attention to Brunson this year. The Knicks are no longer scrappy underdogs from the game’s largest media market. They are the defending champions. Brunson’s run in New York is no fluke, never has been. Let’s see if those who cast the votes finally start paying attention.