By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson has taken a hometown discount. It’s a mind-blowing amount.
Brunson has left $113 million on the table. All because he signed one year early.
He is reportedly doing this to give the team more flexibility to sustain themselves as a top team in the Eastern Conference. After re-signing OG Anunoby and then acquiring Mikal Bridges in a trade, the Knicks had no flexibility.
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This move gives the Knicks some wiggle room. But will they be able to make the right moves moving forward? That’s yet to be determined.
It could come back to bite him. NBA players and their agents have made bad choices in the past.
For example, just this offseason, the Miami Heat offered Caleb Martin a five-year deal worth $65 million. He and his representatives turned down that deal.
Instead, he signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to Spotrac, the Knicks are nearly $50 million over the cap space. They are nearly $5 million from the first apron space.
The team is $15.7 million from the second apron space.
Spotrac says that this new deal will kick in this upcoming season. He will have a player option for the 2028-29 million where he will receive $43.3 million.
The 27-year-old Brunson — born in New Brunswick, New Jersey — has agreed to a four-year extension with the Knicks. He will make $156.5 million.
If he had waited and signed next summer, he would have been eligible for a five-year, $269 million deal.
He has been in the league for the past six seasons. Brunson has been with the Knicks for the past two seasons.
He has developed into a star with the Knicks. He is averaging 24 or more points per game over the last two seasons. He averaged 24 points per game last season.
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This season; however, he averaged a career-high 28.7 points per game. Brunson finished fifth in the MVP voting.
He was a factor in the Knicks making it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Boston Celtics defeated the Knicks in the playoffs en route to their 2023-24 NBA Championship.
Brunson also averaged 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks.
It is a family familiar with the Knicks. His father, Rick Brunson, who previously played in the NBA, serves as an assistant coach on Tom Thibodeau’s staff.
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