Knicks pause all contract extension talks until later in season

The Knicks are putting all contract extension talks on hold.

New York announced Thursday that it will pause negotiations with extension-eligible players until later in the season, as frelayed by Steve Popper of Newsday.

“As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of,” the Knicks said in a statement. “As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season.”

That directly affects Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Miles McBride and Tyler Kolek.

Towns is the biggest name in the group and had already expressed frustration with the lack of progress in talks. He said earlier this week that he and the Knicks were not close on an extension and that he was surprised by the gap between the sides after a championship season.

New York has reportedly offered Towns something in the neighborhood of four years and $200 million. He is eligible for considerably more, though he is said to be willing to accept less than the maximum.

Hart has also acknowledged that contract uncertainty can become an issue if it drags on.

“Hopefully, we can figure that out,” Hart said at media day. “We know it’s a business and we know if some of these things aren’t figured out by February, it might be a different conversation.”

The Knicks’ desire to avoid the second tax apron has made all of this more complicated. Either way, the message from the organization is simple: Contract talks can wait.