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5 new rumors that could shake up Knicks this offseason

By Jordanna Clark

Nov 6, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) controls the ball against Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the second half at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) controls the ball against Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the second half at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson, Dallas Mavericks. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) – New York Knicks /

2: Jalen Brunson

The Dallas Mavericks made it to the Western Conference Finals but didn’t have enough to knock off the Warriors and advance to the NBA Finals. Behind Luka Doncic, Brunson played a key role in the Mavericks’ playoff surge.

Brunson averaged 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 18 games during the postseason. He shot 46.6% from the floor and 34.7% from the 3-point line.

Just how much did the point guard make in 2021-22? $1.8 million. Yes, you read that right. He far outplayed his value, which is why he’s expected to command between $20-$25 million a year with his new contract.

Brunson’s set to become an unrestricted free agent, but even though Dallas doesn’t have a whole lot of cap space to work with (only a $6.4 million taxpayer midlevel exception, to be exact), the Mavericks are expected to re-sign him. Fischer wrote:

"In the meantime, there’s a growing sense among league personnel that Jalen Brunson will return to Dallas following the Mavericks’ sprint to the Western Conference Finals."

That’s what Mark Cuban has been saying all along and if Dallas can get some more depth behind Doncic and Brunson, the Mavericks are going to be even more of a threat in the West. But as Fischer noted, Brunson would have “an unquestioned role as the starting point guard and lead ball-handler” in New York. With Doncic, that’s something that Dallas is unable to offer.

If Brunson enters free agency, the Knicks would have to make some moves to be able to sign the point guard, but he’d have free range in New York. But because he was drafted by the Mavericks in 2018 and has been with the team for the past four years, his loyalty is going to likely remain with Dallas.

Don’t count out the possibility of him joining the Knicks yet, though. Cuban is a savvy businessman and although the Mavericks have said that they’re not going to cooperate with sign-and-trade offers for Brunson, they may end up having to do so to prevent the point guard from walking for nothing. But as Marc Berman noted, for Dallas to be able to do that, the team would have to first trade other players to avoid going over the $157 million hard cap.

Regardless, if the Mavericks don’t re-sign Brunson, expect the Knicks to get involved.

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