Jalen Brunson moved from the Dallas Mavericks to the New York Knicks almost two years ago, a move that had consequences for both teams. The Knicks All-Star made it clear once again that he actually wanted to stay in Dallas, but the Mavericks kept delaying possible negotiations.
“I really wanted to stay in Dallas,” the Knicks playmaker said All The Smoke. “Before my fourth and final season in Dallas, we tried to extend my contract and get the maximum. That was $55 million for four years and I wanted to do that. I wanted to stay and I thought I’d be there for a long time There could be time. I enjoyed my role there,” Brunson continued.
In his previous three years, Brunson was primarily in demand as a sixth man; in his final season, the current All-Star was promoted to starter. But according to Brunson, the Mavs didn’t want to negotiate in the summer and instead wanted to wait for the first 20 or 25 games, but when Brunson’s representatives asked again, the point guard was put off again. An offer came shortly before the trade deadline, but at that point Brunson was sure that he was worth significantly more.
Thanks to its strong playoff run, the Mavs made extending the guard a top priority and After the loss to the Warriors, then-owner Mark Cuban immediately noted that Dallas could pay Brunson more than any other team. “I think he wants to stay and that’s the most important thing,” Cuban said in a TV interview. Brunson disagreed, noting that he no longer had personal contact with the Mavs at the start of free agency.
Jalen Brunson: Haven’t heard anything else from the Mavericks
Cuban told the story a little differently last year. He particularly blamed Brunson’s father, Rick, who was signed by the Knicks as an assistant coach shortly before free agency. Accordingly, Dallas would have liked to pay more than New York (4 years, $104 million), but Dallas was never given the opportunity to do so.
“We didn’t know the Knicks’ offer,” assured Cuban. “They never gave us a number. If I had known them, I would have paid it immediately. But he wouldn’t have stayed anyway, it was never about the money in the end.”
On the first day of free agency, Brunson finally agreed to the Knicks and immediately became a crowd favorite in New York. The 27-year-old led the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs in his first season, and this year the former Villanova guard was named an All-Star for the first time. With an average of 27.6 points and 6.5 assists, Brunson is having the best season of his career and is the new figurehead of the Knicks.
Jalen Brunson: His stats for the New York Knicks
2024-02-23 06:51:00
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