As I recently reported, the NY Knicks have done some homework on Dallas Mavericks’ Point Guard, Jalen Brunson.
According to Marc Berman of The NY Post, the front office wants him “BAD”.
But according to some other reports, the former Villanova standout is looking for an extension somewhere in the realm of 4-years, $80 million.
A high price to pay for a player who’s yet to average over 16 points per game for an entire season.
But if there’s a team in the league that could convince the New Jersey local to take a bit of a discount, it’s the Knicks.
Should the NY Knicks trade for Jalen Brunson?
I know I’ve gone over the laundry list of reasons why Brunson to the Knicks makes almost too much sense several times now, but for those who haven’t had a chance to read my other articles, I’ll share those with you now.
Firstly, as I mentioned before, Brunson was raised in New Jersey so he’s a local kid.
Leon Rose got his start as an agent and his first-ever client was Jalen’s father, Rick Brunson.
The three of them remain close to this day.
Rick Brunson as we know played for the Knicks during two separate stints, once from 1998-2000 and the second time was during the 2000-2001 season.
Papa Brunson also served as an assistant to Tom Thibodeau when he was Head Coach of the Bulls and Timberwolves.
And lastly, Jalen’s agent is a fella by the name of Drew Morrison, who happens to be employed by – you guessed it – CAA Sports Agency.
So for as long as Thibs and Leon Rose are running the show here in New York, I’ll believe any and all rumors that Brunson would like to be a Knick.
It just so happens that he’s currently in the final year of his rookie-scale contract and is certainly looking for a big payday.
A payday that the Mavs are likely not able to afford. Perhaps Jalen priced his ask so high to deter the Mavericks from wanting to retain him, and would instead consider trading him for a less expensive asset or two.
And if they decide to make the necessary moves to facilitate Brunson’s ask, well then at least Jalen is getting paid!
But the moves they make would likely decimate the team.
So here are two different trades I could see happening at the February 10th Trade deadline that could benefit both organizations.