It is no secret that the New York Knicks are hoping that they can sign Jalen Brunson this NBA offseason. They have been connected to the Dallas Mavericks point guard for over a year, and this summer they will finally have their chance to try and acquire him.
Brunson is entering unrestricted free agency and is expected to cash in big time. Many analysts believe that he is going to sign a contract that pays him at least $20 million annually, a nice raise after being selected in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft.
For the New York Knicks, signing him outright could prove troublesome. Right now, they do not have the cap space to sign a player to a contract that pays that much annually.
A sign-and-trade would have to be executed, but the Mavericks will reportedly not help facilitate any sign-and-trade deals for Brunson.
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If that is the case, New York may be out of the Jalen Brunson running for him before free agency even opens. However, it sounds as if the Knicks do have a contingency plan in place. That backup plan could very well be Malcolm Brogdon of the Indiana Pacers, per the New York Post.
“Now 29, Brogdon is set to make $22.6 million next season in the final year of his contract. And according to NBA sources, he is available in a trade for the right package, a possibility that has some members of the Knicks front office intrigued if they strike out on free agent Jalen Brunson.”
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Skillset-wise, Malcolm Brogdon is someone that should appeal to the Knicks. He has the size to play the switching defense that Tom Thibodeau deploys and the skill set to be a lead point guard or play off the ball.
Alas, skill and fit aren’t the issues for Brogdon. Instead, it is his health. Brogdon has been unable to stay on the court in recent seasons, playing in only 36 last season. In his first two seasons in Indiana, Brogdon played 110 games combined.
With what the New York Knicks dealt with last season in Kemba Walker and Derrick Rose, bringing in another injury-prone point guard would certainly be a risk. Brogdon has missed at least 18 games in every season of his NBA career except as a rookie when he played 75 games with the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Leon Rose would have to make sure he has a capable backup on the roster that can step into the lineup at a moment’s notice if the team turns to Plan B and makes a deal for Malcolm Brogdon. While on the court he is an excellent two-way player, but it is a near guarantee that he will miss a chunk of the season at this point in his career.
