Landry Shamet is heading into free agency with a market that looks far bigger than a minimum deal, and the New York Knicks may not be able to keep him even if they want to. Free-agency negotiations were set to begin at 3 p.m. ET, with the market opening at 6 p.m. ET, putting Shamet’s next move at the center of the Knicks’ roster decisions.
That interest is not vague. Michael Scotto said Shamet is expected to have a robust market with numerous teams interested, and that rival clubs are salivating at the chance to pry him away from New York. Barry Jackson also identified the Miami Heat as a team that could make a run at him, as they look to add at least two skilled three-point shooters.
Shamet’s appeal comes from what he just did for the Knicks. He averaged 9.3 points and two three-pointers per game in the regular season, shot 39.2% from deep, and then raised that to 47.5% from beyond the arc in the playoffs. During the 2026 title season, he fit into a rotation that valued spacing, shot-making, and reliability. That kind of production is exactly what clubs chase when the market opens.
The problem for New York is that the numbers do not leave much room for sentiment. The Knicks had roughly $14 million below the second apron while needing to fill four roster spots, and Mitchell Robinson was expected to command offers at or above the $15 million mid-level exception. Shamet was projected to get a new deal starting around $8 million per year, a price that can work in a vacuum but gets tight fast once the roster math is laid out.
That is where the conflict sits. Shamet is described as beloved by Mike Brown and the front office, but affection does not erase the cap sheet. Re-signing him at $8 million, along with the two rookies for a combined $2.75 million, would leave only $3.25 million to fill the remaining spots, with minimum-value contracts starting at $1.36 million. Even before the first deal is signed, the Knicks are being pushed toward a choice between holding onto Shamet, protecting their flexibility, or risking a deeper hole elsewhere on the roster.
The likeliest outcome is that Shamet’s market tests New York’s limit quickly. If bidding gets near the projected $8 million range or climbs beyond it, the Knicks will have to decide whether his shooting is worth squeezing the rest of the roster into a very narrow budget. For a team trying to stay under the second apron, that is not a side note. It is the decision that may shape the rest of free agency.
