There are team-friendly NBA contracts, and then there is what star Knicks guard Jalen Brunson did in the summer of 2024, when he signed a four-year extension worth $113 million less than what he would have been eligible to sign had he waited just one more year to negotiate.
In total, the extension was worth $156.5 million, which isn't anything to scoff at, certainly. But when you consider that the Villanova export could have been getting paid on a $269 million deal now—and that for athletes, contracts are all about maximizing the present in the event of devastating injury or an unfortunate decline—it was quite the haul to leave on the table.
At the time, Brunson’s decision could have been viewed as curious, if not a little confusing. It wasn't abundantly clear, per se, that the Knicks were on the cusp of a championship, and the former Mavericks guard was meanwhile still making his case as the new face of the franchise. Why would he want to sacrifice all that cash when there was no guarantee he would be able to recoup it down the line?
Well, it was because it was exactly what it looked like: a gamble for the future.
Thanks to the league’s salary cap and first/second apron implications, it is much more difficult for a front office to keep a championship caliber roster together and still pay its star players. In waiting to sign an even bigger deal, Brunson helped the Knicks save millions against the cap through the 2027–28 season, which meant that they could take big swings in the roster-building department to inch them closer to another Larry O'Brien.
Here’s how it looks pic.twitter.com/AKsU33fmby
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2024
Without Brunson's sacrifice, the Knicks may have been over the second apron following the Mikal Bridges trade and the contract for OG Anunoby. In turn, maybe they wouldn't have been able pull off a trade for Karl-Anthony Towns. At the bare minimum, as highlighted by CBS Sports' Sam Quinn, they would not have been able to eventually move for Jose Alvarado, who proved crucial during the team's Finals run.
So, when you really get down to it, the knock-on effects here were huge, and it’s no exaggeration to say that Brunson’s compromise helped deliver N.Y. this title.
Mannix: Jalen Brunson Fulfilled the Knicks’ Dream and Earned His Place Among New York’s Greats
To be clear, the guard hopes to make up the money he temporarily forfeited when he signs a new extension over the next few years (he has a fourth-year player option for 2028); he's not that generous, nor would anyone expect him to be. In February of this year, for example, the guard said he hopes the Knicks ”do right by me” when he goes to sign his next deal.
“I think anyone would. I feel like I sacrificed,” he said.
Now, with a title under his belt, there is little doubt that New York will work with him when the time comes. And it will be even better if the Knicks pull off another championship in the meantime.
Brunson looks back fondly on the sacrifice
In the aftermath of the N.Y.'s win, Brunson has commented a few times on his team-friendly deal, making clear that, in his eyes, the extra money would have had nothing on this.
"$113 million-ish is what you left on the table, that you could have signed with the New York Knicks. Is $113 million worth it knowing it's for a championship?" ESPN's Malika Andrews asked Brunson immediately after the victory.
"100% worth it," Brunson said. "100% worth it. Even if we didn't achieve this, I feel like being able to do that and grind and go on a journey to try and achieve it would have been worth it as well, but this is definitely the cherry on top."
The 29-year-old elaborated further during a Monday morning appearance on The View, when he also explained how the freedom of getting the extension over with factored into his calculus, too.
“It was important [to take the team-friendly deal], but the way I looked at it first [was] you never know what could happen in a year,” he said. “When it was presented to me ... being able to play with my mind free, not thinking about if I play well or if do this, I’ll have this [contract] waiting for me. I kind of felt like, hey, this is on the table right now. Maybe just get this out of the way so I can play free, I can play with the best of my abilities without having to think about what could or could not happen.
“And then obviously, being able to be on a contending team. I knew that if I did this, at some point ... something good was going to come back to me.”
That it did.
In the grand scheme of things, an athlete’s career is short; you can forgive him or her for wanting to maximize their value while they still can. But what Brunson’s sacrifice has proven—as the sacrifice of other top players has shown in the past—is that championships are won not only on the court. They’re won on the books, as well.
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