The New York Knicks just enjoyed their best regular season-finish since 2012-13 and their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000, but that doesn’t mean the pursuit of excellence ends. Despite the success, the team wasn’t satisfied with how the campaign ended and swapped head coaches over the offseason as they begin the journey to the NBA’s mountaintop once more.
As NBA futures markets go live on DraftKings Sportsbook, we’re taking a look at the Knicks’ win total projections. At 51.5, that line remains the fourth-highest mark of any team as things currently stand. Read on to see which direction bettors should target.
If you’re interested in seeing any of the other NBA teams’ projected win totals, check out DKN’s master list of the full 2025-2026 NBA projected win totals.
New York Knicks 2025-2026 projected win total
Analysis
The Knicks didn’t do anything wild on the free agent market, but that’s understandable given the salaries on the books for next season. New York was never going to find themselves big-game hunting, instead opting to run things back with a core which experienced plenty of success this past year and were one game away from an NBA Finals berth. Barring any trades, the Knicks return essentially every single rotation piece from their playoff run.
The team maintains an elite pairing in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns as each ranked top 12 in the league in points per game last season. Towns also finished second in rebounds, so their two biggest stars should keep firing in 2025-26. Of course, the Knicks’ duo of lockdown wings between Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby also elevate the team’s defensive ceiling while Josh Hart rounds out the remainder of the starting lineup. Keeping that unit together already elevates New York’s chances in a weak Eastern Conference, so the consistency is a major plus.
The moves they did make during the opening weeks of free agency were depth signings, but both can make a pretty significant impact for this contending roster. Following a buyout from the Utah Jazz, Jordan Clarkson signed a one-year, $3.6 million deal with the Knicks and brings a much-needed scoring option off the bench. While not the most efficient shooter, the 33-year-old can still put the ball through the hoop with 16.2 PPG and 3.7 assists last year. As for the other signing, New York brought in big man Guerschon Yabusele on a two-year, $12 million contract. The 29-year-old averaged 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per outing in his return to the NBA level, so he provides valuable frontcourt depth at either the four or the five with a 6-foot-8, 260-pound frame.
The signings aren’t the focus of the offseason, though. Instead, the coach is. The Knicks parted ways with Tom Thibodeau despite him leading the team to four playoff appearances in five years at the helm. They replaced him with Mike Brown, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year winner who was fired by the Sacramento Kings just 31 games into last season. Prior to the split, Brown amassed a 107-88 record over two and a half years with the franchise and led the Kings to their first playoff appearance in nearly 20 years.
Thibodeau was a great fit for the Knicks, but it became clear that the marriage between the two sides had begun to run its course by the end of his tenure. It’s better to part ways too early than too late, and Brown does seem like one of the best possible hires the Knicks could have made. He positions them well to make a run during the coming season.
New York Knicks projected win total: Best bets, predictions
New York Knicks over 51.5 wins (-120)
Swapping head coaches after such an objectively successful campaign was a bold move for the New York brass. Still, sometimes a new voice on the sideline and in the locker room unlocks something within a team — this seems like a natural outcome for the Knicks given the amount of talent on the roster.
Thibodeau took a defense-first approach and was often stubborn to a fault with the distribution of minutes among the rotation. While he’s undoubtedly a good coach, Brown brings a fresh perspective and arguably higher upside if he can scheme up ways to put the offense in advantageous positions and keep his players’ legs a little more fresh throughout the year. The lineup likely isn’t set in stone at this point, but the depth signings of Clarkson and Yabusele are underrated given what they bring to this roster, which was already the most talented one Brown will have coached over the last several seasons.
The Eastern Conference is wide open, especially with long-term injuries to the Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum. The Knicks just won 51 games last season and 50 in the year before, the latter of which came without Towns on the roster. With a strong defensive framework in place, plenty of great players and the possibility of a offensive improvement on deck with a new coaching staff, over 51.5 wins feels like the way to go in the futures market here.
New York is gunning for a championship. Whether they can win their first one since 1973 remains uncertain, but the Knicks have the makings of a regular-season giant.
