It was particularly expected, Jalen Brunson formally committed to joining the New York Knicks. In any case, there was no longer any doubt about the outcome of this case. Both parties are moving towards the home stretch and should formalize this signing as soon as possible.
Brunson joins New York for $104 million over four years, from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The leader will have a player option for the last year of his contract, before the 2025-2026 season. A very substantial deal for a player selected in 33rd position in 2018.
It’s a colossal addition for the Knicks, who have been looking for their new running back for a long time. They hope that Brunson can take them a step further after a disappointing exercise, without qualifying for the playoffs.
Lieutenant of Luka Doncic, the former Villanova has transformed this season. He has especially proven to be very valuable in the postseason, in the Mavs run to the Conference Finals. With his averages of 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game and benchmark matches, he showed his best side in the playoffs.
His performances convinced New York to bet on him. The front office of Leon Rose did everything to make his recruitment possible. On draft night, he went so far as to sacrifice his 11th pick and 4 future second rounds in order to free up cap space for his signature. By sending Kemba Walker to the Pistons in this trade, they made it clear to the point guard that he was highly desired. They also transferred Nerlens Noel et Alec Burks in Detroit, by conceding two second rounds of draft, always to prepare the ground.
The Knicks even hired Rick Brunson, his father, as an assistant coach. A logical decision given his experience as a player and his years under Tom Thibodeau to the Bulls and Wolves, but inseparable from the point guard’s Free Agency.
Their efforts paid off. Jalen Brunson is now in their camp. The offer of the franchise was so attractive that he would not even have listened to that of Dallas, which will have great difficulty in replacing him. The Mavericks have also planned to empower Spencer Dinwiddie et Tim Hardaway Jr rather than looking for a new guard.
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