The Dallas Mavericks were heading toward the NBA postseason looking like a dangerous team. But, the air was let out of the room when superstar Luka Doncic injured his calf in the season finale. Without Doncic, the Mavericks’ chances of competing in the postseason shrunk considerably.
In Game 1 of their first-round series against the Utah Jazz, the loss of Doncic was felt greatly. The Mavericks did everything they could defensively, but on offense, they struggled mightily. They would lose the game 99-93, looking as if they would go out of the postseason with a whimper.
But, Jalen Brunson had other ideas. Without Doncic, Brunson took over his role in the offense and has done a magnificent job. He scored 41 points in a Game 2 victory, putting up a stat line very reminiscent of one we would see from Doncic himself as Brunson added eight rebounds and five assists.
In Game 3, it was much of the same, Brunson paced the offense with 31 points, picking up a huge victory in Salt Lake City, 126-118, taking a 2-1 series lead. With every basket and win that he leads the Mavericks to in the postseason, Brunson is seeing dollar signs, adding more and more to his free agency pitch this summer.
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Jalen Brunson is wrapping up his fourth season in the NBA and heading toward unrestricted free agency. Normally, second-round picks such as Brunson are restricted free agents, but because the deal he signed consisted of zero option years, he will be an unrestricted free agent instead.
That is bad news for the Dallas Mavericks, who will not have the luxury of being able to match any offer sheet that he signs, which is a perk of restricted free agency. Instead, they will have to compete with other teams around the league for his services.
Luckily for Dallas, there aren’t a ton of teams that will have cap space to spend in free agency. They should be going up against fewer teams to re-sign Brunson, which is excellent news for them.
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Remaining with the Mavericks is arguably the best decision for Brunson. He has taken to his new role, starting alongside Doncic in the backcourt. They can pay him a ton of money, which always helps in negotiations like these as well.
But, if he were to leave the Dallas Mavericks, there is one team that presents the best landing spot for him in free agency; the New York Knicks. The Knicks have been monitoring his situation for a while and this offseason you can count on them making a run at him.
Jalen Brunson would be afforded the chance to become the starting point guard in New York. In Dallas, it will always be Doncic’s team. Brunson is excellent in the supporting role that he is asked to play, but if he wants to become the lead guard for a team, there is an opportunity awaiting him in New York.
The Knicks have been on the lookout for a starting point guard seemingly since Walt Frazier was leading the team to championships. They haven’t had the same starting point guard on opening night since Chris Duhon, which speaks volumes to how much of a black hole the position has been.
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Brunson has a lot of fans within the organization as well. Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau have both spoken highly of him and have worked with his father, Rick Brunson, as well. He would fill a major void in the New York Knicks lineup, which has to be appealing to him.
Imagine the Madison Square Garden crowd watching him drop 41-points in a playoff game, leading the orange and blue to victory? There is something different about winning in New York and Brunson would be lauded if he joined the team and helped them do that.
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He is no stranger to pressure, playing big games throughout his college career at Madison Square Garden at Villanova and winning two national championships. Now, he is taking his game to another level under the bright lights of the NBA postseason.
Jalen Brunson possesses the toughness and style that would endear himself to New York Knicks fans and would provide a steady performer at the point guard position that the team has been missing for a long time.
