NBA off-season 2022: New York Knicks sign Jalen Brunson for 4 years, deal worth $104 million
After much speculation, the NBA’s New York Knicks signed Jalen Brunson in free agency on a deal worth $104 million.
FollowJalen Brunson became one of the early National Basketball Association (NBA) free-agent signing announcements after signing a $104 million deal. The Knicks have been front-runners for the former Villanova player, who played his first four years as part of the Dallas Mavericks. The Dallas Mavericks offered Brunson a five-year-$106 million deal. The Knicks have made plenty of moves to ensure the signing of Brunson. First, they dumped off Kemba Walker’s $9 million contract on the Draft night, and then, they created $19 million in cap space by trading Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel to the Pistons. The Knicks also recently hired Jalen’s father, Rick Brunson as an assistant coach.
For most of his time in Dallas, Brunson was seen as a bench option or secondary point guard. However, the 2022 Playoffs saw him show another level. With Luka Doncic out for the first three games, Brunson averaged 21.6 points per game in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. It included 41 and 31-point games to lead Dallas to 2 crucial victories against the Utah Jazz.
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After the signing, Adrian Wojranowski reported, “Free-agent guard Jalen Brunson has agreed to a $104 million deal with the New York Knicks. The deal includes a player option on the final season.” In response, Kirk Goldesberry tweeted out Jalen Brunson’s ability to score from the interior despite only being 6’1”. “Out of 37 guards that took at least 200 shots between three and 10 feet last year, Brunson ranked first in efficiency, hitting 57.5% in that range,” he wrote.
