Getty Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Since the New York Knicks made draft-day moves to open up some additional cap space, the notion of Jalen Brunson being a free-agent pickup has become more of a reality.
However, according to ESPN’S Stephen A Smith, pinning all of your hopes on Brunson isn’t a smart thing to do, because he’s not at the required level to warrant such a high level of focus from the Knicks front office.
“Trading their first-round pick away, and for what? To go all-in on clearing cap space, in hopes of signing Jalen Brunson? I mean, Brunson is a nice player, I hope that he comes, hope that he gets paid. But the Knicks are acting like he’s KD. The Knicks just hired this man’s father as an assistant coach – this is what you do to recruit a player in college, this is what you do in Kentucky. The Knicks are an NBA franchise, or at least, they’re supposed to be,” Smith said in a June 24 episode of Stephen A’s World.
We know that New York needs a point guard, and that hasn’t changed. And it’s fair to say that Brunson is the most talented guard available, should he decide to leave the Dallas Mavericks. But, committing a large portion of your cap space to a non-star point guard is risky business, and no matter how well he played throughout the post-season, Brunson is not a star guard.
Brunson’s Impending Contract is ‘Justified’
According to Marc Stein, the Knicks are expected to extend a four-year offer to Brunson once the free-agency period officially opens on June 30. That contract is expected to be in the region of $100 million, giving Brunson an average annual salary of $25 million per season. However, it’s worth remembering that the Mavericks are able to exceed this offer should they wish to keep Brunson around long-term.
The latest NBA free agency rumbles dominate my latest This Week In Basetball column freshly dispatched worldwide just now … with lots of Rockets, Knicks, Mavericks, Sixers, Blazers and much more:
“When it comes to the Knicks’ expected four-year offer to Brunson worth at least $100 million, as well as Dallas’ ability to zoom comfortably past that mark as the only team that can furnish a five-year deal, be advised that an annual salary of $25 million would have established Brunson as merely a middle-of-the-pack point guard this past season in terms of compensation. Brunson’s strong play last season, particularly in leading the Mavericks to two playoff wins over Utah while Luka Dončić was out with a calf injury, more than justifies such an outlay,” Stein wrote in his June 26 Stein Line Newsletter.
Brunson is coming off the back of an impressive season, where he averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 37.3% from deep and 50.2 from the field. Those numbers improved during the post-season, with the 25-year-old guard averaging 21.6 points, 3.7 assists, and 4.6 rebounds on 34.7% three-point shooting.
Irving is Still a Potential Option
While the Knicks have done everything within their power to position themselves atop of the Brunson sweepstakes, there’s still a legitimate chance he decides to remain in Dallas and continue playing alongside Luka Doncic.
Kyrie Irving and the Nets are ‘at impasse’ that clears the way for him to test the open market, per @ShamsCharania
The Lakers and Knicks are expected to be suitors
To that end, it’s worth remembering that Kyrie Irving is still at loggerheads with the Brooklyn Nets, and the Knicks are one of the few teams that both hold interest and have the cap space to sign him to a contract via free agency.
New York is certainly in a good position to add some talent this summer, be it via trade or via free agency, let’s hope that the front office has done their due diligence on the players they’re coveting and that any new additions can help the Knicks swiftly return to the playoffs.