All-Star Break Recap: Things you might have missed
By Kyle Delaney
Jalen Brunson tried, but was denied twice by the Dallas Mavericks
Jalen Brunson recently spoke with Matt Barnes on his All The Smoke podcast about his decision to leave the Dallas Mavericks and join the New York Knicks in free agency.
"I really wanted to stay in Dallas," Brunson said. "I thought I would be there for a long time. I liked my role there." According to Brunson, the most he could get from the Mavs was a 4 year, $55 million contract. However, Dallas wanted to see where they were at 20-25 games into the season before they signed any extensions.
During his final season with Dallas, Doncic was injured to start the year and Brunson did an exceptional job filling in for him. Feeling confident about his play, Brunson re-approached the Mavs ready to sign that deal. However, again, the answer was still no. Because of the looming trade deadline and his inability to extend his contract, Brunson was convinced he would be traded. Yet, the trade deadline passed, and Brunson was still with the Mavs. Brunson told Barnes that the original deal came back on the table after the deadline, but Brunson felt he had "outgrown"that contract.
Fast forward to the end of the regular season. Doncic gets hurt right before the playoffs and Brunson steps up big for the Mavericks, scoring at least 23 points in each of Dallas' six games against the Utah Jazz during their first-round series. Brunson said he remembers Mark Cuban hinted at a big offer after the Mavs lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Golden State Warriors. However, despite this claim, Brunson never heard anything from the Mavs organization.
At that point, Brunson said he saw New York "making moves" which included hiring his father, former NBA player Rick Brunson, as an assistant coach. "Close to home, an hour away from where I was born," Brunson said. "Parents live on the East Coast, whole family lives on the East Coast. So I started thinking like, 'This could be a real thing.' So uh...then here we are."
Brunson is fresh of his first All-Star selection. The Knicks currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference. Safe to say, things ended up working out pretty well for JB.