3 ways the Mavs’ disastrous decisions have repeatedly helped the Knicks

1: Not paying Jalen Brunson

The Mavericks have struggled without Jalen Brunson this season. Dallas can blame New York all it wants for “tampering” and signing Brunson to a four-year, $104 million contract in free agency, but let’s not forget that the Mavericks had the chance to sign Brunson to a four-year, $55 million contract last season.

Now, Dallas has scrambled to fill Brunson’s void with Irving, who is more talented than Brunson but isn’t anywhere near as reliable. The Irving experiment could end up shocking the NBA world, but it’s hard to believe that he’s the missing piece that the Mavericks need. If only Dallas would’ve re-signed Brunson when it had the chance.

Brunson is the point guard that the Knicks have been waiting for. People were clowning New York for “overpaying” him in free agency, but his contract looks more like a steal now. He somehow wasn’t named an All-Star reserve, but both he and Julius Randle have been the team’s two best players this season.

It’s true that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, just ask Dallas. Mavericks fans might be too preoccupied with their excitement about Irving playing for their favorite team, but it won’t be long until they’re back wishing that Brunson would come back, although they’d never admit it.

Pass or Pursue on 4 Knicks trades for contending pieces

In today's edition of Pass or Pursue, we are looking at four trades centered around adding key role players/veterans to the Knicks roster.