Brunson in the Bag?
The Knicks, it seems, got their guy.
GOOOOOOOD MORNING!!!!!!!! DO WE HAVE SOME NEWWWWWWWS FOR YOU!
🗣 News & Notes ✍️
🏀 For once, the Knicks are going to get their guy.
Following several reports yesterday that Jalen Brunson was seen as a near lock to sign with the Knicks upon the opening of free agency, Leon Rose took the other shoe and slammed it against the floor, dealing Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, two second-round picks and $6 million cash to the Detroit Pistons last night.
This trade, factoring in the waiver of Taj Gibson and the retention of Mitchell Robinson’s cap hold, will open up approximately $33.5 million in cap space, eliminating whatever doubt that remained about whether Brunson would be donning orange and blue next season.
As for how much of that $33.5 million will go to Brunson, there were varying reports on the total amount. Initially, Woj tweeted that the Knicks could offer the 25-year-old guard “in the neighborhood of a max contract,” which would be for four years and $131.1 million. Shortly thereafter, Chris Haynes pegged the number at slightly lower:
The difference between the two possible options might not be all that different, at least in the immediate future, as we still don’t know whether the proposed deal would be increasing or decreasing in value. For instance, if the Knicks structured a contract that started high and got lower - always a preference of front offices - they could pay Brunson just over $29 million next season but end up spending $110 million in total. That aspect of the final math remains to be seen.
It is semantics at this point, not to Brock Aller, and certainly not to Brunson himself, but to an organization that has been defined by their consistent ability to come up short, almost regardless of the situation. Some will find this a hollow achievement - one born out of nepotism, and of course, an obscene amount of money. Objectively speaking, those views are not invalid.
At the same time, it is somewhat rare for a significant free agent to switch teams in the NBA when his original employer wants him back. It is especially rare when the team he’s leaving is a bona fide title contender, as the Dallas Mavericks certainly are, having just gone toe to toe with the world champs in the Western Conference Finals. And it is very rare for that incumbent player to leave for the New York Knicks.
Yes, let’s repeat that last part: Jalen Brunson wants to be a Knick. Like the fumes of a cigar you know is slowly killing you, it is satisfying nonetheless. Money, family, panache, pfft. Someone is picking us. I probably shouldn’t be getting as excited over that simple fact as I am, but such is life as a fan of this franchise. It is also a significant achievement for this front office, regardless of the circumstances that allowed it to happen.
To be clear, Brunson is not the sort of savior New York has swung and missed on in the past, and it seems like the team’s brass knows as much. Ian Begley reported earlier in the day that Brunson is seen by the team as an important addition, and not someone who “would singularly turn the franchise around.” That is a wise view. But harping on what he isn’t also misses the point. The Knicks, and Leon Rose in particular, needed someone, anyone, of note to say “I want to go there.” It is the faintest proof of concept imaginable, but proof of concept nonetheless.
Brunson could have taken a slightly lesser payday to stay in Dallas. It certainly would have been the safer move. Hell, if this organization was the disaster zone that our PTSD sometimes makes us believe it is, Brunson would know that better than anyone. It is impossible to hide warts from your family. Jalen Brunson, perhaps better than anyone, knows what he is getting into in New York. He is accepting the challenge nonetheless.
And that, more than anything, should leave Knicks fans feeling very, very excited.
🏀 A note on the picks New York sent back to Detroit in this trade:
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