NBA reveals what Knicks have been waiting to hear about Jalen Brunson signing
With the Donovan Mitchell trade drama still in full swing, the New York Knicks are also now going to have to deal with the NBA investigating the free agency signing of Jalen Brunson. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported on Monday morning that the league has started an investigation into the Knicks in regards to ‘alleged tampering.’
The night before June 30, Haynes reported that Brunson would be meeting with the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat along with New York the following day.
It was later discovered that the point guard had never planned to meet with Miami and an hour before the start of the free agency period, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Brunson was expected to sign with the Knicks. Brunson didn’t meet with his former team.
Before the signing was made official, it was thought that maybe New York and Dallas were trying to work out a sign-and-trade deal for Brunson. That would’ve allowed for the Mavericks to at least receive something in return for Brunson instead of letting him walk for nothing, but that didn’t end up being the case.
And now, the Knicks are at risk of possibly losing a second-round draft pick, which is what happened to the Chicago Bulls and the Heat last year.
The NBA has begun an investigation into the New York Knicks for alleged tampering regarding free agent pickup Jalen Brunson, sources inform @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 1, 2022
Knicks are being investigated by the NBA for ‘alleged tampering’ in regards to Jalen Brunson signing
Let’s take a look at what the NBA’s going to be looking at. Rick Brunson (Jalen’s father) was recently hired as an assistant coach for New York, Jalen’s been tied to Leon Rose’s family (Rose is his godfather) since he was born, Rose’s first client when he started with the CAA was Rick, Rick has coached under Tom Thibodeau in Chicago and Minnesota, and Sam Rose (Leon’s son) is one of Jalen’s agents (the other is Aaron Mintz).
Per Chris Haynes, “The league will look into whether the Knicks made contact with Brunson prior to the start of the free agency period.”
It’ll be interesting to learn how the NBA will approach this situation because it’s so unique. Brunson can’t be penalized for speaking to his father, or for communicating with someone that’s played a big role in his life since he was born.
During Brunson’s introductory press conference, which stirred up backlash because the media wasn’t allowed, he had this to say about why he signed with the Knicks:
"“It’s family. It’s a comfort level to this, and something I just couldn’t turn a blind eye to. I knew that these guys have my best interests at heart. They’ve known me since … I think Leon probably saw me before my dad did,” joked Brunson, speaking a fan event closed to the media. “It’s just, it’s just one big family for me, and I’m just super excited.”"
It truly is one big family for him.
The league office has likely had the Mavericks organization in their ears in regards to the Brunson signing, so Knicks fans should’ve expected the team to be investigated at the very least. But should New York be charged? Eh, no. But will New York be charged? If Mark Cuban has anything to say about it, then yes.
