Jalen Brunson is the only NBA superstar to have changed teams via free agency this decade. While other stars take their maximum rookie extensions before requesting a trade, locking in the best possible second contract as a professional, the Dallas Mavericks never gave Brunson that option.
Before the reigning Finals MVP, international superstar, and one-time Saturday Night Live host ever took on the challenge of bringing an NBA title back to the Big Apple, he was Luka Dončić's second fiddle. The two led a Dallas team that made a little bit of noise in the NBA Playoffs, but the Mavericks' front office — always looking to improve their core around Dončić — kept their sights on bigger targets ahead.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon, savant of all things Mavericks, reminded fans on The Hoop Collective's live show in Manilla that Dallas offered "the 18th pick, the 31st pick, and a backup point guard named Jalen Brunson" to teams in exchange for a premium lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Nobody bit.
If someone had, the Knicks' future — or rather, their present reality in 2026 — would look very different.
Knicks fans should take this reality over any alternatives
The Knicks, themselves, may have had the chance to scoop Brunson up early. But Leon Rose was set on starting his tenure off by drafting Obi Toppin. The five picks before New York's and the next pick, however, all belonged to teams in the Eastern Conference.
That would've set Brunson up perfectly to take Haliburton's place as the Knicks' biggest villain, one way or another. It may even have been as a member of the Indiana Pacers, if they had eventually dealt Domantas Sabonis for a different young guard. New Yorkers know, however, that Brunson's talent and work ethic would've gotten him to the top — one way or another.
Haliburton wasn't drafted until the Sacramento Kings took him with the 12th overall pick. Reports were, though, that his representation helped him slide down the board. The Mavericks getting themselves in the picture could certainly have changed several fates, though.
Would they have ever traded Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers? Would Brunson always have left for the Knicks, where his not-literal-Godfather is still the President of Basketball Operations?
Looking back at the 2020 NBA Draft, it’s hard to imagine the vast majority of teams in the lottery don't want their picks back. The Charlotte Hornets made a great decision, adding LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 overall pick. Next, however, came a string of selections that teams would likely prefer to re-do.
- 4. Chicago Bulls: Patrick Williams (Forward, Florida State)
- 5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro (Wing, Auburn)
- 6. Atlanta Hawks: Onyeka Okongwu (Big, USC)
- 7. Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes (Guard, Ratiopharm Ulm)
Brunson would've risen to stardom on any of those teams, regardless of which guards were initially ahead of him on the depth chart. Luckily for the Knicks, and their fans, he made it happen in New York.
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