The New York Knicks have all but set their roster ahead of the 2026-27 season, but that doesn't mean their future is set in stone. 

For the next few years the Knicks will be dealing with a difficult financial situation due to the second apron, which the Knicks are just shy off by less than $ 4 million. 

That might not be a problem as far as this upcoming season goes, but the Knicks have several players Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart who are all due for contract extensions, and especially in Brunson's case, a substantial pay raise. 

In order to prepare for that eventuality, the Knicks will have to something about their financial situation. The best-case scenario would be for the Knicks to simply be willing to go beyond the second apron, but what's far more likely is that the Knicks will put together some trade packages to shed salary. 

With that in mind, there are a handful of players on the current roster that could make for valuable trade candidates while freeing up some much needed cap space for the Knicks in the meantime.

Miles McBride is another player who is eligible for a contract extension this season and heading into the last year of his own contract, but given the Knicks' aforementioned financial limitations, McBride's case for an extension seems the least likely out out of all the Knicks eligible. 

With that in mind, the Knicks certainly don't want to let him walk for nothing in free agency next offseason and with how productive that McBride has been off the bench for the Knicks, he stands out as one of the more valuable trade assets in the league.

Jordan Clarkson did just sign a one-year, $3.8 million contract with the Knicks this offseason and he has shown to be a useful player coming off the bench, but if forced to look at players who are the most disposable while still retaining value, Clarkson certainly stands out. 

As a 12-season veteran who averaged 8.6 points, 1.8 rebound and 1.3 assists in 17.8 minutes per game last season, Clarkson's numbers don't exactly fly off the page, but he could be a target at the deadline for any team's looking for a versatile veteran presence tgo give them that final boost through the second half of the season and into the playoffs.

One of the most recent Knicks on the roster, Tyler Kolek has just two seasons under his belt playing at the end of the New York bench and averaging just 11.7 minutes per game last season.

But Kolek also showed a marked improvement from the season prior and his peripherals stand out. He shot 43.5% from the field and 38.6% from the field last season, showing off the kind of talent that if given more of an opportunity elsewhere could truly blossom into a dependable role player. 

With a $2.3 million dollar average annual salary attached to him and not many opportunities to get on the floor with the Knicks, trading Kolek to a team looking to invest in young talent should be a no-brainer for New York.