Final 5 Questions

We end offseason week with five significant questions that will hover over New York's summer.

Good morning! Before we get to the final missive of the week, a big thank you to everyone who has shown such great enthusiasm for this week’s newsletter. I’ve noticed a lot of new subscribers, and I promise there’s a bunch more offseason content where this came from.

Final 5 Questions

PHEW!

What a week.

We covered a lot of ground over the last three days, but believe it or not, we’re just getting started. Today I’ll tie up some significant loose ends that haven’t been covered this week, and over the next month, I’ll dive into the nitty gritty of several specific scenarios involving key figures both on and off the Knicks’ roster.

Let’s do this…

1. Will Brunson Take the Extension?

I already wrote extensively on the financial ramifications for a Brunson extension here and here, so feel free to refer back to those for specifics. What I haven’t touched on are the ramifications for the Knicks.

If Jalen signs on the dotted line, here’s what he’ll be making in each of the next five seasons, along with the percentage of the cap his salary will take up:

• 2024-25: $24.96 million (17.7 %)

• 2025-26: $34.94 million (22.5 %)

• 2026-27: $37.74 million (22.1 %)

• 2027-28: $40.76 million (21.7 %)

• 2028-29: $44.02 million (21.3 %)

Those percentages are far more important than the dollar amounts, because if Brunson waited until next summer to sign a new deal, he’d be making 30 percent of the cap in the ‘25-26 season, and pretty close to 30 percent in each of the years that follow.

To have a player that appears on MVP ballots make anything less than his max is a massive win, and brings with it no shortage of benefits. For one, it makes it easier to stomach a large cash outlay to some other player or players who they might otherwise be unable to afford (see one subheading down).

It could also impact which players they target this summer.