LAS VEGAS – Jalen Brunson will join the New York Knicks long-term.
A league source confirmed to Reuters that Brunson and the organization agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $156.5 million. The athleteThe contract will begin in the 2025-26 season and includes a player option in the fourth year. ESPN was the first to report the news.
The midfielder has been mulling over the possibility of an extension for several months, even though New York wasn’t allowed to offer him one until July 12, exactly two years after he signed his current deal with the team. But even if Brunson hadn’t technically seen the agreement, he knew what was coming. His soon-to-be-signed new deal is the largest extension New York could offer.
Although New York offered the maximum extension, re-signing now wasn’t the most lucrative path Brunson would have taken. Had he waited until 2025 to sign a new deal, he would have been eligible for a maximum contract, projected at $269 million over five years. But other circumstances prompted Brunson to opt for a deal that would have paid him about $113 million less.
like The athlete In detailing it earlier this week, Bronson focused on two factors: security and winning.
The extension would secure a nine-figure sum today. Meanwhile, agreeing to a lower sum now would help the Knicks’ efforts to stay under the second apron in 2025-26.
Cutting costs doesn’t mean saving owners money. The new collective bargaining agreement is more restrictive than any in league history. And now, costs are so high that they’re draining team-building resources.
Brunson’s low annual salary could help the Knicks fall below the second tier, especially in 2025-26 when he is projected to make $207.8 million. If New York exceeds $207.8 million in salary, they will lose access to the mid-level exception, trade exceptions, and will be unable to make various types of trades. An organization that aspires to win a championship will have few ways to improve its performance.
The extension is another big move for the Knicks, who traded five first-round picks, including four unprotected picks, for Mikal Bridges at the start of the season.
Brunson, 27, made his first All-Star team in 2023-24, though his accomplishments didn’t end there. He finished fifth in MVP voting and made his second All-Star team after helping the Knicks to 50 wins and a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference. With a series of injuries, New York lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs.
Brunson averaged 28.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists, and finished fourth in the NBA in scoring.
(Galen Brunson photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
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