Jalen Brunson Is Name To Watch
Given their need for a point guard and another star, it is definitely possible that the New York Knicks could show a level of interest in trading for Russell Westbrook at a cheap price, however, it is unlikely that a deal will actually get done simply because of the cap and tax implications of trading for a $47 million contract.
The Knicks’ potential available cap space will be utilized in free agency, where the team plans to pursue Mavericks’ guard Jalen Brunson, sources tell NBA Analysis Network.
“Jalen [Brunson] has been a young guard Leon Rose has been monitoring for quite some time now and with them being desperate in the backcourt, it would not be surprising to see the Knicks go all-in on him,” one league source told NBA Analysis Network. “They have the ability to steal him from Dallas and he is young enough to be paired with R.J. [Barrett] and Julius [Randle] long-term.”
Keith Smith of Spotrac does an excellent job of breaking down players’ contracts and upcoming contracts and he states that Brunson could see a hypothetical max deal of $175 million over five years with Dallas, compared to just $130 million over four years with another team.
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It is much more likely that Jalen Brunson will see offers around $80 million over the course of four years in free agency, putting the Knicks at the forefront of negotiations with him since they will be exploring options to move Kemba Walker, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and possible even Derrick Rose in the offseason to free up cap space.
This season will mark the eighth time in the last nine seasons that the Knicks will finish with a losing record, assuming New York does not win all seven of their remaining games this season, putting a decent amount of pressure on the entire coaching staff, front-office and players to get things right in the offseason.
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The Knicks have the resources and young talents to turn things around quickly, which is why the upcoming offseason proves to be a vital time for New York.
