To be sure, the way that point guard Jalen Brunson has been playing to this point in the season has been a major boon for the Mavericks, and to star Luka Doncic. In 11 games, the fourth-year guard is averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds, all career highs. He is shooting 49.6% from the field, though he is making only 34.3% of his 3-pointers.
It is good timing. After signing a four-year deal as a second-round pick out of Villanova in 2018—worth $6.1 million total—Brunson will hit free agency this summer. The Mavericks made something of an error when they signed Brunson to a four-year contract as a second-rounder, because it assured that he would be unrestricted in free agency, rather than restricted (which would give Dallas a chance to match any offer).
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison was asked about Brunson in an interview with the Dallas Morning News and, did not address the contract issue directly. But his evasion of the topic doesn’t mean it is not going to be a foremost issue for the team this summer.
Certainly, Brunson has given himself more options with the way he’s played.
“We’ll know who we are in 20, 25 games into the season, sometime mid-December,” Harrison said, when asked about Brunson’s contract. “So the fact that he’s playing great, we want that to continue. All that does is make it easier for us. And it makes it easier for him, too.”
On-Off Numbers on Brunson Are Staggering
Brunson has shown his value to the Mavericks here in the early season, not just in terms of his box-score numbers, but in the overall impact he has had on the team, particularly the offense.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, when Brunson is on the floor, Dallas is scoring an average of 114.4 points per 100 possessions, which would rank No. 1 in the league. When he is off the floor, Dallas scores 92.5 points per 100 possessions, which would rank last. Even on defense, Brunson has an impact, with opponents’ offensive rating dropping from 110.4 to 107.2 when he is on the floor.
It’s been helpful to star guard Luka Doncic, having Brunson on the floor.
“The stress level is down, especially for Luka,” coach Jason Kidd said. “When you have two ballhandlers on the floor – two playmakers – it helps the team and it also helps Luka where he doesn’t have to do it all.”
Mavericks Face a Salary Crunch as Brunson’s Cost Rises
Despite the fact that Brunson has been such an important contributor in Dallas, there is still the chance that he plays well enough to price himself out of the Mavs’ price range. Brunson is eligible for a contract extension, but that would be fore a maximum of $12.6 million in the first year. He could likely get more than that—maybe not too much more, but enough to cause him to possibly hold off on a deal until he tests the market next summer.
It’s the sound of teams across the NBA opening their cash registers at the thought of free-agent Jalen Brunson next summer.
Former Grizzlies executive John Hollinger, writing for The Athletic, noted that Brunson’s situation could paint the Mavs into a corner. The team has Kristaps Porzingis’s $34 million on the books next year, and Luka Doncic’s five-year, $207 million supermax deal will kick in then, too. Doncic will make $35.7 million in the contract’s first year.
“Brunson’s continued solid play also makes him important at another level — he’s an unrestricted free agent after the season and is eligible for an extension that tops out at $12.6 million a year,” Hollinger wrote. “Dallas doesn’t have a lot of cap-room scenarios, so how the Mavs handle his future will be a critical decision.”
Mavericks GM Dodges Contract Issue on Budding Free-Agent Star