Jalen Brunson forfeits $113 in new Knicks deal — was it the right move?

National Basketball Association

Published Jul. 15, 2024 6:30 p.m. ET

This has been the summer of surprise for the New York Knicks.

Following a disappointing conclusion to the 2024 campaign — a 130-109 loss to the Indiana Pacers in which Jalen Brunson broke his hand — morale has been on the up and up in the Big Apple.

The team swung and hit on a massive blockbuster trade to reunite Mikal Bridges with his Villanova buddies (Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo) and then followed that grand slam by re-signing OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212 million contract.

The deal left Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau with a plethora of playmakers to fit in his new-look depth chart that projects to include Brunson, Bridges and Julius Randle in its starting lineup, with Hart and DiVincenzo serving as ready-made switchblades off the bench.

Just this weekend, Brunson afforded the squad room for additional aid on the roster, passing up $113 million to make a team-friendly four-year, $156 million deal. Brunson did so with clear intentions to help New York add to its starry roster, and it was a selfless move that Colin Cowherd absolutely loved.

“Jalen Brunson said ‘I love New York,'” Cowherd exclaimed Monday on “The Herd.” “‘I love my teammates. I love my coach. I love this city, and I think we have a chance to be great over the next four-to-five years.’ … He still made $157 million, but he gave up more money, over $100 million, than any NBA player ever has. It should be noted: Tom Brady gave up tens of millions of dollars to be the GOAT. Tom’s not the GOAT because of what he made. Kirk Cousins, end of his contract in Atlanta will have made more. When you go to Canton or Springfield, nobody ever says as you go to the podium ‘you were the highest-paid guy in 2016 for a month.’ They say you were great.

“And Jalen Brunson, this is what leadership looks like. Because of the new CBA, it gives the Knicks big advantages going forward. This is what [Chris] Bosh, [Dwyane] Wade and LeBron did in Miami. It’s what KD did to the Warriors. It’s what Brady did, and [Patrick] Mahomes has done a little bit of it in Kansas City. Jalen Brunson, as I’ve said from the beginning, he’s got self-awareness, intelligence, he gets it. … It is a Knicks city. … Jalen Brunson, he didn’t have a problem showing you, ‘yeah I took $113 million less. My agent can release it. I took less.’ And that’s what leadership looks like. … I love this move by him. I think it helps the Knicks. There have been a lot of Knicks pseudo-stars in my life. This kid’s a star. Nothing illustrates your commitment to winning in salary-cap sports by taking a little less. Stop with the get-the-bag nonsense. Get the title. Get the wins.”

Cowherd’s support of Brunson’s opting for less is firm. But for NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce, who has won an NBA championship himself, the decision was ludicrous.

“You left $113 million on the table?!” Pierce questioned on “Undisputed.” “That don’t even sound right. What? Hey listen, I get it. You’re trying to win a championship. But that don’t guarantee you a championship. They gon’ love you in New York. He should’ve just did what LeBron did. Take a pay cut. You know LeBron took a pay cut, right? You know how much his payout was? Two, three million? $113 million pay cut. That’s money you’re not gonna get back, Skip. I don’t think I’ve ever — in my history of doing the league and knowing the numbers — seen somebody take this type of discount.

“It’s not about the number — 113 — because obviously the contracts are a lot bigger, but the percentage of what he could’ve got based on what he got, I’ve never seen that disparity out the gate. Maybe they’re giving him something under the table, maybe he got free rent. He get free food wherever he goes in New York. I mean, it’s gotta be something. It’s something to this.”

From the looks of it, that “something” is simple: an NBA championship. And Brunson and Knicks fans alike will look forward to how New York uses its extra funds to help that cause.

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National Basketball Association

New York Knicks

Jalen Brunson

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