Jalen Brunson’s extension is now more than one year old, but the New York Knicks are only just starting to realize the benefits that come with their best player punting on a whole bunch of money.
From the Mikal Bridges extension to the addition of Guerschon Yabusele, the 28-year-old superstar’s fingerprints are all over this offseason. And you know what? They’ll be all over future summers, too. Because by signing that four-year, $156.5 million deal last July, Brunson is giving the Knicks something most other NBA contenders can only dream about: the flexibility to retain their core, or if necessary, make changes to it.
The Mikal Bridges extension looks better because of Jalen Brunson’s contract
Sticker shock over Bridges’ four-year, $150 million extension has gone too far. Even if you’re not feeling particularly good about his performance next season, New York essentially paid him like a top-50 player. That is more than reasonable for the value he brings to the table, and for the importance he holds to the team.
Yet, for argument’s sake, let’s say the Bridges deal winds up being a slight overpay. It’s not the end of the world. Brunson’s contract affords the Knicks cushioning elsewhere. He’s slated to be the 46th highest paid player in the league next season. That is a wildly low placement for someone coming off consecutive All-NBA campaigns, and on his third career contract.
Moreover, with the 2025-26 salary cap locked in, we now know just how much additional wiggle room Brunson is giving the Knicks. If he entered free agency this summer, his four-year max would have come in at $207.8 million, with a Year 1 salary of $46.4 million. Brunson is instead making $34.9 million—about $11.5 million less. That massive difference singlehandedly keeps the Knicks out of the second apron, and not only allows them to sign Yabusele, but also lets them aggregate salaries in any trades they wish to pull off, provided they aren’t taking back more money than they send out.
Brunson is helping keep the Knicks more flexible after this year, too
Though most view Brunson’s discount through the lens of delaying entry into the second apron by one season, it’s actually bigger than that. The Knicks now have clarity on how much this exact core will cost moving forward, and have an outside chance of skirting the second apron in 2027-28 because of JB’s continuously repressed price point.
Cap projections vary at this point, but when accounting for 14 roster spots, New York could be $1.4 million beneath the second apron next year. Granted, this does not include a new deal for Mitchell Robinson, who’s currently scheduled for free agency in 2026. The Knicks could just decide to enter the second apron to keep him. But if they do, and things go awry, they’ll have an easier time of dipping back beneath it because, in 2027-28, Brunson will be earning $12.4 million less than he could be.
New York could also decide that replacing Robinson on the cheap is eminently doable, and duck the second apron altogether. Or it could invariably feel the same way about Josh Hart.
So many different possibilities are on the table for the Knicks. While we have to see what becomes of them, they enjoy longer-term optionality that a team like the Phoenix Suns never did. And it’s all thanks to Brunson.