Jalen Brunson is leaving a lot of money on the table to help the build the best team possible. Brunson and the Knicks agreed on a four-year, $156 million extension on Friday, . Brunson could have signed for an additional $113 million if he wanted until next year to sign the extension.
The point guard was eligible to sign a five-year, $270 million extension after the 2024-2025 season. Brunson’s deal includes a player option on the fourth year, giving him an opportunity to extend at a bigger number a few years from now. Still, there are no guarantees Brunson will still be performing at a max player level at that point, and the Knicks aren’t beholden to offering it.
This is an unprecedented gesture for a star player, and a way for the Knicks to continue stocking the team with talent in the second apron era. Brunson is sacrificing tens of millions of dollars per year to give the Knicks team-building flexibility. This graphic from Wojnarowski lays out the deal Brunson accepted vs.
the one he could have signed next year. Here’s how it looks “One big motivating factor for Brunson in all of this was he wanted to put the Knicks in the best position possible to build out this roster as they chase a championship,” reporter Ian Begley . As contenders let go for good players to avoid the penalties coming from the dreaded second apron of the luxury tax under the league’s new CBA, there’s no way to frame Brunson’s deal as anything other than a massive gift to the Knicks.
Rel.