Jalen Brunson has been underpaid throughout his entire NBA career. He was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft and immediately grew into a valuable role player. He joined the Knicks on a hefty four-year free agent deal in 2022, but proved quickly that he was an All-Star worthy of a max contract. Now, if Brunson wants that max contract, he needs only to wait one offseason for it. Brunson has a player option for the 2025-26 season. If he declines it, he will become a free agent and be able to re-sign with the Knicks for a staggering $269 million over five years.
But, according to The Athletic's Fred Katz, this outcome isn't a certainty. No, Brunson, who becomes eligible for a contract extension on July 12, the two-year anniversary of his last deal, is considering a far cheaper option. If Brunson re-signs when he becomes eligible on Friday, he would only be able to earn around $156.5 million over four years. That's around $113 million left on the table, and according to Katz, Brunson is considering it.
I've explained the cap mechanics involved in the decision in depth here. In short, most extensions are limited by how much a player previously made. Brunson is underpaid now and can only be given a 40% raise at the start of a new deal and 8% raises thereafter. That's still quite a bit of money, but it's not close to his max, which would come in at 30% of next season's cap.
Brunson would have two primary reasons for leaving the money on the table. The first would be security. He can guarantee himself the $156.5 million by signing this week if he wants to. A lot could happen before the $269 million becomes available next offseason. He could get hurt or see his value decline in other ways. He also knows just how restrictive this new CBA is, and by signing for less, he would help the Knicks avoid the second apron and keep their team together to compete for championships.
Brunson will be on a new contract soon. Julius Randle is also eligible for free agency next offseason. Mikal Bridges has two years left on his deal, and OG Anunoby just re-signed for $212.5 million. The Knicks are getting expensive. If sacrifices aren't made somewhere, this team is going to lose talent in the coming years.
Brunson appears open to the idea of making the sacrifices needed to help the Knicks win at the highest level. The most popular Knicks player since Patrick Ewing could buy himself even more love from New York fans with a sacrifice like this. We've seen stars sacrifice for the team before, but the idea of leaving $113 million on the table is nearly unfathomable.