Sources: Knicks who exercises the option of Ariel Hukporti’s team, planning to refuse PJ Tucker

The Knicks are exercising the team option in the center Ariel Hukporti And they are planning to refuse the team option on the veteran PJ TuckerThey said sources in the championship in Sny.

The decline in the Tucker team option reduces the $ 3.5 million Knicks payroll.

The Knicks are currently above the first apron in the total salary of the team and have access to the exception of taxpayers of $ 5.6 million (they have about $ 196 million team salary). The contracts signed with this exception cannot be more than two years and contain increases of five percent: you can divide the exception to sign more players.

In decline in the Tucker option, the Knicks also have the flexibility of signing their free agents to report a player under contract that earns until $ 5.6 million.

If you use the exception to sign a free agent, you are concise in the second apron-it, it means that you cannot spend more than $ 207.8 million in the team salary.

Knicks can also use the minimum exception of the veteran to sign free agents.

New York has decisions to make its free veterans agents in Delon Wright, Precious Achiuwa, Landry Shamet AND Cam Payne.

The team will monitor the backup guard market.

The Knicks are among the teams that will have an interest in Shamet once the free agency will open at 18:00 on Sunday, according to SNY sources. The contending teams in both conferences should have an interest in Shamet, say the sources of the League.

The 28-year-old returned from one shoulder located during the 2024-25 season and shot 40 percent from beyond the arch through 50 games of the regular season. It was out of the rotation for most of the post-installation, but was reinserted to the rotation in game 3 of the Knicks-Pacers.

Shamet delivered, hitting 7 on -13 three during the series and defending well. The Knicks were more 21 when he was on the pitch against Indiana (52 minutes).

The Knicks on Sunday also extended the qualification offer a Kevin McCullar Jr.The sources of the League confirm, as reported for the first time by the New York Post.