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After months of speculation and discussion, on December 21 the league has officially come to a decision on the tampering investigation involving the New York Knicks and free agency acquisition, Jalen Brunson.
Per an official statement released by the NBA, it has been deemed that the organization has been found guilty of prematurely engaging the 26-year-old in behind-the-scenes negotiations. As a result, the Knicks have been stripped of their rights to their own second-round selection in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Along with the investigation of Brunson, according to SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley, the league also looked into the team’s decision to hire his father, Rick Brunson, as an assistant coach and to sign big man Isaiah Hartenstein to a two-year, $16 million this past offseason. Per Begley, both acts were found to be violation-free.
Penalties Proving to be Worth It for Knicks
Despite the loss of their future draft pick as a result of tampering, the addition of Jalen Brunson to this Knicks team has proven to be an all-out positive for the organization.
Through 31 games played, the point guard has posted career-best averages virtually all across the board as he’s putting up 20.8 points, 6.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on 46.8% shooting from the field and 37.4% shooting from distance.
With Brunson in tow, the Knicks find themselves sporting the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 18-13 and, since December 4, have won eight-straight games, with impressive showings over this span coming on the road against the Chicago Bulls in two consecutive games and, most recently, a triumph at home against the Golden State Warriors.
Their current stretch of success serves as the best in the league, while the owners of the second-best streak of six-straight in the Brooklyn Nets marks the occasion as the first time since 1976-77 that both clubs have won six or more game in a row at the same time.
Knicks Not Focused on Win Streak
Though the team’s eight-game winning streak is being talked up ad nauseam amongst both the New York media and the team’s fanbase, during a post-game media session on December 20 Jalen Brunson stated that their recent stretch is not a topic of conversation within the Knicks’ own locker room.
“I think we can just keep learning from it, keep getting better and just focus on one game at a time. No one’s talked about the streak at all,” Brunson told reporters. “Obviously we tell each other to keep it rolling but we’re just trying to be the best team we can be and continue to play for each other and just focus on one day at a time.”
Since December 4, New York has proven to be an absolutely lethal unit, particularly on the defensive end where they rank first in the league in defensive rating (98.9), opponent 3-point percentage (28.5), and opponent points per game (97.8).
Next up on the docket for the Knicks is a home turf matchup against divisional rival, the Toronto Raptors, followed by two more games at Madison Square Garden on December 23 (against the Bulls) and Christmas Day (against the Philadelphia 76ers) before embarking on a three-game west coast road trip.
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