Among the top storyline ahead of NBA free agency is which Jalen Brunson is going to sign with after his impressive postseason run with the Dallas Mavericks. His personal ties to the New York Knicks are well known, but would he leave a team coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance that can also offer a fifth year on a contract offer that other teams cannot?
There’s been increased speculation about Brunson’s desire to play a bigger role, presumably as the primary ball-handler for an offense. He’d be filling such a role with the Knicks but never will alongside Luka Doncic on the Mavericks. Keep in mind, that Brunson led Villanova to two championships as the main focus of the team’s offense.
According to Marc Stein, the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers are no longer considered potential landing spots for Jalen Brunson in free agency. However, it remains to be seen which team is in the lead for his services between the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks.
I’ve been repeatedly asked since my Friday piece on The Jalen Brunson Sweepstakes to handicap which team is in the lead to sign the coveted point guard in free agency. That can’t be accurately done yet. The Knicks have unquestionably positioned themselves as a very real threat to the Mavericks, but presumably only Brunson and his father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, know precisely where things stand. The closest thing to certainty on the Brunson front at this juncture, as Thursday’s 6 PM ET bell for the actual start of free agency approaches, is that Detroit and Indiana are no longer being mentioned as potential destinations.
The Knicks made it a point to clear cap space during the NBA Draft by involving the No. 11 overall pick in trade talks. They dealt the pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder and received three protected 2023 first-round selections (DET, DEN, WAS) while moving Kemba Walker’s contract to the Detroit Pistons.
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The Knicks have to clear enough cap space to make a massive contract offer to Brunson if they want to entice him to sign with them. They are preparing to make an offer that exceeds a four-year, $100 million contract. As previously mentioned, the Dallas Mavericks can offer a fifth year on a deal and can exceed the salary cap using Bird rights to re-sign him.
If Jalen Brunson does not end up signing with the New York Knicks, some names like Malcolm Brogdon and D’Angelo Russell are among names to watch based on recent NBA trade rumors. Tyus Jones has been floated as a potential free agency target at times, too.
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The Dallas Mavericks will have just the $6.3M Taxpayer MLE to use to replace Jalen Brunson outside of making a trade using contracts they already have on their books. The options are bleak and they are rumored to favor adding another wing as opposed to acquiring a replacement guard.
