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The New York Knicks swept in and stole Jalen Brunson away from the Mavericks, a move that could come back to bite Dallas in the future.
Brunson will now anchor the point guard position in New York, and he’s set up to make a leap into stardom. That could’ve happened in Dallas, but he was always going to be in the shadow of Luka Doncic, so the Knicks give him more of a chance to flourish.
It’s been long documented the Mavericks had the chance to offer Brunson an extension that ran four years for $55 million, but they didn’t do so. Now, he has departed Dallas and nearly doubled his money across the same time after signing a $104 million deal with the Knicks.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz writes that the Brunson signing will look great in three years and Knicks fans have no need to worry about it. On top of that, he’s believes Dallas will be kicking themselves for not bringing him back in the first place.
Good Signing for the Knicks?
It’s clear the Knicks needed to do something this offseason to address the point guard position, so if Brunson wasn’t getting signed, it would’ve been someone else.
Swartz says it’s a good thing he dropped into the Knicks’ lap, and says that he’s proved he can be a good player when it matters most.
“Dallas refusing to offer Brunson even a four-year, $55.5 million extension last summer will end up haunting the franchise,” he wrote. “Brunson proved he can perform on the biggest of stages after putting up 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and only 1.1 turnovers on 46.6 percent shooting in 18 playoff games this past spring.”
Despite this signing being praised, Swartz doesn’t think Brunson can be the number one option on a title team, so the good thing here is that he isn’t being paid like one right now. On top of that, if the Knicks trade for Donovan Mitchell, he won’t even have to be the top option.
“Don’t let the $100 million figure scare you,” he concludes. “This is going to be a tremendous signing for the Knicks.”
More Moves to Make
The Knicks made good moves so far this summer, but nothing would compare to a blockbuster trade for Donovan Mitchell. He’s been linked to the Knicks, but there doesn’t appear to be a ton of movement there as of right now.
Talks like that can take a long time, but New York does still appear to be the frontrunner in discussions there. If the team gets healthy, they could end up being a real threat in the Eastern Conference.
Derrick Rose, the team’s anchor off the bench, should be back and healthy next season. Mitchell Robinson will be starting the season healthy and with a new contract, so he might be very motivated to perform.
Health really hurt last season’s squad, and when that’s coupled with a regression from Julius Randle, it’s a recipe for disaster. New York will have to hope Randle finds his All-NBA form again and RJ Barrett takes another leap forward.
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