Well, it seems as if Mark Cuban is still in the ‘anger’ stage of grief after losing Jalen Brunson to the New York Knicks nine months ago. Either that or he’s lashing out because his precious Mavericks are at risk of missing the play-in tournament.
It didn’t take long for Brunson’s four-year contract that he signed in free agency to look like an underpay. He’s the largest reason why the Knicks have secured the No. 5 seed in the East and will miss the play-in tournament altogether. Meanwhile, the Mavericks are crossing their fingers that they’ll get to compete in the play-in.
If only Dallas would’ve signed Brunson to a four-year, $55 million contract when it had the chance. Although everyone in the NBA realm knows that the Mavericks made a massive mistake by letting Brunson walk, Cuban doesn’t want to admit it. Instead, he’s placing the blame on Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father.
Mark Cuban is blaming Rick Brunson for the Mavs losing Jalen Brunson in free agency, saying “things went south when the parents got involved.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 5, 2023
Mark Cuban blames Jalen Brunson’s father for Mavericks losing star point guard to Knicks
No, that isn’t a joke. It’s real. The timing is hilarious as Dallas’ 2022-23 season will go down as a dumpster fire even with Luka Doncic averaging a career-high 32.8 points. After making it to the Western Conference Finals last year, the Mavericks’ season could come to an end on Sunday, the final day of the regular season.
Cuban thought that he was doing something by blaming Rick, who was hired as a Knicks assistant coach over the summer before the team signed Jalen, but instead, he made himself look even worse. Jalen has had numerous opportunities to take a shot at Dallas, but he’s chosen to take the high road each time.
While New York fans should typically root for Dallas to close out the regular season on a losing streak, it would actually help the Knicks if the Mavericks did well. New York’s 2023 first-round pick from the Kristaps Porzingis trade is top 10 protected, and right now, it belongs to the Mavericks at No. 10. How great would it be for Cuban to have to accept that not only did Dallas gift New York Brunson, but a lottery pick as well?
Mark Cuban, you’re funny. Thanks for Jalen!
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