Saturday’s Posted & Toasted Notes

Good morning, sweethearts.

We’re going to try and launch (fingers crossed) a new column here at P&T where we aim at covering a bit of everything-Knicks and whatever else happens around the League.

Fear nothing, as we will try to keep it busy but also entertaining, mixing a bit of linking with a bunch of commentary to make things a bit more entertaining.

If you know me, you probably know me as the Bulletin Man. That is going nowhere, although with the offseason coming our way furiously, it’s reasonable to have it out every few days, as there won’t be much quotable content out there. Regarding the Posted & Toatsed Notes, consider them an extension of the Bulletin. Expect a dose of links to a bunch of media outlets, podcasts, interviews, shows, and such, so you can read or watch or listen to the full thing, with a sprinkle of analysis and Knicks-tinted-glasses annotations if only to make it make sense and fit our beloved place.

Without further ado…

• As we already discussed yesterday, Knicks guard Jose Alvarado wants to secure his future this offseason. Alvarado holds a player option in his deal, while the Knicks have their backs against the wall when it comes to avoiding the second apron, and James Dolan doesn’t want to get there. Alvarado must make a decision by June 29 at 5 p.m. ET.
• According to Newsday’s Steve Popper, Dolan said that he “met with (Leon) Rose on Tuesday and began plotting out next season,” in a meeting that took place before the Knicks’ owner made his second-apron remarks. One has to assume that if that really happened, and as little as Dolan might or might not know about how the NBA cap works, he was talking with at least some knowledge based on whatever Rose told him, so the genius might have another ace up his sleeve. As we say here, in Rose we trust.
• The New York Post discussed the Knicks’ upcoming free-agency decisions and ranked the franchise’s UFA—Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson, Ariel Hukporti, Jeremy Sochan, and Mo Diawara—by priority to bring them back. Can you guess who’s No. 1?
• Former Knickerbocker J.R. Smith went on an IG Live on Friday and was asked by a fan about whether the ‘26 Knicks could beat his ‘16 Cavs for the title, to which he answered by suggesting he’d be the one guarding Jalen Brunson, adding that OG would have no chance against LBJ.
• Staying J.R., he also admitted to having wasted a whole buncha money during his playing days. “I had 7 cars at one point, in Cleveland. I’m like, ‘Why did I have 7 cars?’” No financial trouble in the Smith household, though.
• I missed it when it originally dropped, but I guess at this point in time and with the access we have to everything, you like me have watched the full And1 mixtape run over and over at some point in life. Well, following the Knicks’ triumph over the Spurs, And1 confirmed the signing of Jose Alvarado to a contract and dropped a bunch of entirely delightful promos. Imagine being tall for no reason…
• Not happy enough with trying to destroy their team and remove the little depth it has heading into the 2026-27 season by trading Jaylen Brown and pieces away for Giannis Antetokounmpo… the Celtics are seemingly exploring (per Jake Fischer) a potential (per Sam Amick) Derrick White for Rudy Gobert deal. Sheesh…
• Jimmy Butler’s longtime NBA agent Bernie Lee discussed Jalen Brunson’s paycut deal with the Knicks, claiming no other player should nor would do that in the future.

“Why wouldn’t everyone do this? Here’s why, in my opinion, Brunson’s situation should be respected as exceptional and not turned into a standard that other players are pressured to follow. Brunson will be remembered for the rest of his natural life and beyond for taking an incredible risk and leading one of the marquee teams in the NBA to a championship. Over the years, I have had numerous clients with the opportunity to play with the Knicks. I have always said that a person can win anywhere, but winning in New York is entirely different. That has clearly proven to be true. It is an incredible story with a great ending, and every person involved deserves to enjoy it. But the idea that this should start a trend does not add up to me, because the circumstances that allowed it to work were finite and almost impossible to recreate. The family history between the Brunson family and Knicks management has been well documented for good reason, and it clearly played a major role in the trust that defined the relationship from the outset. Still, unless you own the team, everyone works for someone.”

• The folks over NBADraft.net analyzed the team needs for franchises in the Atlantic Division heading into the 2026 NBA Draft. Regarding the Knicks—who have the No. 24, No. 31, and No. 55 picks—they highlighted what we all expected: a backup center.

“Because most key roles are already filled, New York has the luxury of simply taking the best player available on draft night, a valuable position to be in given the team’s salary cap constraints.”

• Make sure to check our own 2026 Knicks draft guide daily, as we keep churning out scouting reports of potential New York targets!
• ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes the contending window of the Knicks will remain open for as long as Karl-Anthony Towns wants to. That’s because in Brian’s eyes, Towns must take a pay cut to give New York a bit more wiggle room.

“If Karl Towns is willing to take a little bit of a haircut, you know, $7-10 million over the course of multiple seasons and Josh Hart is also extension eligible this summer, if both of them are willing to take a little bit of a haircut, you could see this core staying together for three, four, five years.”

• Do you know what’s funny? Actually, do you know who is funny? Vince Goodwill, that’s who. The ESPN pundit had the courage to call the Larry O’Brien trophy a “participation” thing, and not happy enough with that, as the Knicks were parading, he went on to say that KAT is still frustrated with the Knicks because they didn’t extend his deal—which still has two years left on it—the minute he was eligible to sign an extension. “I don’t think he’s gotten over that,” Goodwill said.
• Old news already covered in the Bulletin a week ago, but it sounds realer each passing day (s/o to our friends from Pounding The Rock!) that Spurs guard Dylan Harper was hella frustrated with the lack of minutes and his diminished role he played throughout San Antonio’s regular-season and deep postseason run. Uh, oh, situation!
• Josh Hart must have had some fun on Thursday.
• Legendary, infamous, and retired New York Post writer Marc Berman is back speaking to CBS and opening up about his last days in the Knicks beat and his post-spotlight career. Worth a read, if only for the memories!

Don’t forget to keep enjoying the sweet feeling of winning!