The Knicks have shut down extension talks with Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and Miles McBride until "later in the season," a decision SNY relays from a team statement saying all focus now goes to getting ready for opening night. Towns had already put the odds in plain English a few days earlier, saying "It don't look good," while insisting he'd take less money to keep the group together, and that nothing offered so far has "come close." Ian Begley reported on Oct. 2 that a "clearly" visible gap separated the Knicks' offer from what Towns wanted, so the pause reads less like a plan than a polite way to stop the negotiating from leaking into October. Hart said he wanted a deal done early because the rumors wear on people, while McBride said he'd love to end his career here and left the rest to the front office and his agency. Tyler Kolek is also eligible, and everyone on the list stays eligible through June 30, 2027.