On October 20 the Knicks told Karl-Anthony Towns they will not pay his five-year, $276 million extension now, citing the second apron. Earlier reporting framed the ask as a $76 million pay cut, the same discount Jalen Brunson took, with an offer of $200 million against a $275 million max, and the team released a statement attributed to James Dolan telling players not to talk about contracts. The discussion now treats the move as asking Towns to take less after winning a championship, and an anonymous NBA executive has said he is not worth a max contract. What Towns will accept remains open.