The Knicks put out a statement on Friday saying they won't negotiate contract extensions until later in the season, which freezes Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Miles McBride and Tyler Kolek, all extension-eligible, at the starting line, Posting and Toasting reports. The odd part is who said it: players usually announce they're tabling talks to focus on the season, and here the team got there first, writing that its "entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season." Towns' talks are reportedly not close, and that's the line that should make a champion's fans put down the parade balloons, since the piece argues his shooting gravity and playmaking would be brutal to replace. The second apron makes extending all three of Towns, Hart and McBride a hard sell anyway, and the column figures McBride was probably gone regardless, so the real question is whether more than one of them walks. Still, it reads as possible leverage rather than panic, with everyone involved reportedly wanting to stay married, which is a thin comfort for a team chasing the first repeat in 53 years.