One of the most impactful free agent signings in recent NBA history was point guard Jalen Brunson leading the Dallas Mavericks for the New York Knicks in 2022. Brunson signed a four-year, $104 million contract as an unrestricted free agent, a deal that was originally lambasted by many people.
Those people have been eating a lot of crow since as Brunson now has one of the best contracts in the NBA. Not only does his annual salary decrease each season, but Brunson has also blossomed into a star. He has helped to revitalize the franchise and filled the point guard void the Knicks have seemingly had since Walt Frazier was running the show.
While New York was hit with a tampering charge, losing a second-round pick is something every team in the NBA would have paid to land a player of Brunson’s caliber. But, had the new NBA CBA rules been in place a few years ago, this free agent deal never would have happened.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks & Dallas Mavericks Updates
One of the new provisions applies to Brunson’s situation in Dallas, specifically. Bobby Marks of ESPN explained it, as the unique contract structure that the Mavericks and Brunson agreed to when he was selected 33rd overall in the 2018 NBA Draft no longer exists.
“For the teams using the exception, the risk of losing a second-round pick to unrestricted free agency is all but eliminated. Remember back in 2018 when the Mavericks signed Jalen Brunson to a four-year contract that did not contain a team option in Year 4? That no longer exists because every player signed to a four-year contract using the second-round exception has a team option included. This allows a player to enter restricted free agency if the team option is declined.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks & Dallas Mavericks Updates
The NBA is constantly updating rules and regulations to try and ensure that teams have the best chance as possible to retain homegrown players. In a day and age in which player movement is so prevalent and commonplace, the league is doing what it can to help the teams who aren’t landing those star players but instead losing them.
Dallas certainly isn’t a small-time franchise and likely has no one to blame but themselves for losing Brunson. They low-balled his offers and underestimated just how impactful he was on the court and how good of a player he could develop into. Their loss was the Knicks’ gain, as New York is now ascending the ranks in the NBA with a star point guard leading the way.
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