The Knicks‘ team salary this season is nearly $208MM, which is the second-highest figure in the NBA, behind only the Cavaliers ($228MM+). However, five of the 14 players on New York’s standard roster are on minimum-salary contracts, while a sixth is earning just slightly above the minimum.
So while the $530,933 bonus for winning the NBA Cup may be a drop in the bucket for the highest-paid players on the Knicks’ roster, like Karl-Anthony Towns ($53.1MM), OG Anunoby ($39.6MM), and Jalen Brunson ($34.9MM), it represents a significant pay raise for the players on the lower half of the Knicks’ cap sheet, as well as the players on two-way contracts who will receive bonuses worth $265,467 apiece (50% of the full prize share).
[RELATED: Details On NBA Cup Prize Money For 2025]
The NBA Cup prize money results in at least a 14% raise for each of the following Knicks players, whose 2025/26 base salaries are noted in parentheses:
Players receiving a $530,933 bonus:
Jordan Clarkson ($3,634,153)- Landry Shamet ($3,080,921)
- Pacome Dadiet ($2,847,600)
- Tyler Kolek ($2,191,897)
- Ariel Hukporti ($1,955,377)
- Mohamed Diawara ($1,272,870)
Players receiving a $265,467 bonus:
- Tosan Evbuomwan ($636,435)
- Trey Jemison ($636,435)
- Kevin McCullar Jr. ($636,435)
The bonuses for Diawara and the Knicks’ two-way players represent a raise of more than 40% on their respective base salaries.
None of this prize money will count against the salary cap, so the Knicks’ team salary for cap, tax, and apron purposes remains unchanged, as do the team salaries for San Antonio and the other six clubs who made the knockout round of the NBA Cup. Their prize money is as follows:
- Spurs: $212,373 per player ($106,187 for two-way players)
- Magic and Thunder: $106,187 per player ($53,094 for two-ways)
- Heat, Raptors, Lakers, and Suns: $53,093 per player ($26,547 for two-ways)