The Dallas Mavericks have made quite a few mistakes in the last few years. Trading Luka Doncic is the biggest mistake that any franchise has made in the last 40 years. Not only did the Mavs trade their franchise player, but they traded the guy they got for him after he had only played 29 games for them.
Another big mistake Dallas made was their negotiations with Jalen Brunson. In 2022, they were trying to bring Brunson back. They ended up offering him a four-year deal worth $55.5 million. After that, Brunson signed a deal with the Knicks worth almost twice that amount.
Now, Brunson and his camp’s true feelings about that contract offer have been revealed.
GettyNew York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson drives the ball in a game. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Jalen Brunson “Laughed at’ Mavericks Poor Contract Offer
According to NBA Insider Marc Stein on the All NBA Podcast, Brunson and his camp laughed at the offer the Mavericks gave him.
“By the trade deadline in 2022, it was apparent that Jalen Brunson was going to go to free agency and get a much larger deal than $55 (million) over four. At that point, the Mavs finally tried to get him to sign it. They finally offered it to him, and the Brunson camp basically laughed at them and said, ‘We’ll take our chances at free agency, you guys had your chance.'”
Instead, Brunson signed with the Knicks. Now, he is just two games away from being the best player on an NBA Finals champion. Meanwhile, the Mavericks have neither Brunson nor Doncic and are rebuilding. It has been a failure of the front office and ownership for the last five years.
Dallas did make the Finals back in 2023, but they were eliminated quickly by the Celtics. That series is what laid the groundwork for them to trade Doncic. Now, the Mavs have to find a way to compete with Cooper Flagg as their franchise player for the next decade.
GettyNew York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson shoots the ball. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Dallas Can’t Help but Wonder What Could Have Been
Had the Mavericks kept both Doncic and Brunson, they might have had the best backcourt in the NBA. They certainly would have had a better offense than they had this season. Dallas had the fourth-worst offense in the league this year. Having even one of those players would have helped.
Of course, both of those players are ball-dominant guards who dominate the flow of the game. Long-term, it may not have worked out with both of them needing the ball so much to succeed. Still, Mavs fans would love to have Brunson or Doncic still on the roster.
Flagg will now have more pressure on his shoulders to drag Dallas out of the lottery and into being a title contender again. It’s not fair that fans will put as much pressure on him to possibly carry the team to a title because the front office screwed things up so badly.
NBA Insider Claims Jalen Brunson ‘Laughed at’ Mavericks Contract Offer