NEW YORK — The Jalen Brunson sweepstakes started with more confidence from the Mavericks.
Not long after his team was eliminated in the Western Conference finals, owner Mark Cuban said Brunson, a free agent this summer, “wants to stay” and noted Dallas holds the financial advantage.
“We can pay him more than anybody,” Cuban told NBA scribe Marc Stein. “And I think he wants to stay and that’s what is most important.”
The Knicks plan to pursue Brunson in free agency, according to sources, but can’t outbid the Mavericks, who hold the 25-year-old’s Bird Rights and could offer the max. The Knicks, who are capped out as constructed, would either need to create space via trade or get the Mavericks to cooperate with a sign-and-trade.
Dallas has reportedly expressed unwillingness to facilitate a sign-and-trade with the Knicks, but minds tend to change when faced with losing a player for nothing. According to league sources, the Mavericks are interested in Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who is also an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Pistons are a wild card because they hold the most cap space and are expected to explore signing Brunson and Robinson.
Brunson blossomed this season and further impressed in the postseason, where he helped carry the Mavericks in series wins over the Jazz and Suns. Even before his revelatory playoffs, league sources believed Brunson could command a $20 million per year salary in free agency. The Knicks have a hole at point guard and can offer Brunson the ball, which he only enjoys part-time in Dallas next to Luka Doncic.
Brunson has many ties to the Knicks, most notably his father, Rick, who was the NBA client of Leon Rose and served as an assistant under Tom Thibodeau in Chicago and Minnesota.
Rose’s son, Sam, now represents Brunson as his agent.
Still, Rick made it clear this is a business decision, not personal.
“I’ve made it very clear to Leon, ‘I love you to death. Your son works for Jalen, represents Jalen, but this is about Jalen,’ ” Rick Brunson told ESPN. “The one thing about Leon is he knows that. He raised Jalen that way, too.
“It’s about what’s best for Jalen. Leon wouldn’t never talk to me again. The question I have, is it a good fit in New York? We don’t know, because we have to sit down and figure it out [and evaluate the] draft. July 1 is a long way away.”
Much of it will also be determined by Cuban’s appetite for a massive bill and his ability to bolster the roster without much flexibility. The Mavericks are already committed to nearly $85 million for their backcourt next season between Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Reggie Bullock.
By all accounts, Brunson enjoys playing under Dallas coach Jason Kidd, a Hall of Famer who was runner-up to Thibodeau for the Knicks job in 2020. But, as usual, money will rule the negotiations.
“We’ve got to figure out if Dallas wants him. Not words,” Rick Brunson told ESPN. “Ain’t no discount. So don’t put it on us. Don’t tell me you love me. Show me.”
If the Knicks miss out on Brunson, their options at point guard include exploring the trade market (Donovan Mitchell, Malcolm Brogdon), signing a lesser free agent (Tyus Jones, Ricky Rubio) or rolling with the current crop (Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, Alec Burks).
