Derek Jeter, Patrick Mahomes Helped Knicks Keep Jalen Brunson

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson is hoping to restructure his contract to mirror some of sports' greatest champions.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 13, 2024

Jan 25, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts during the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson took both a raise and a massive paycut when he signed his four-year extension on Friday.

While Brunson's four-year, $156 million deal is higher than his current deal, Brunson left over $113 million on the table that he could have gotten if he had waited just one more year. Brunson took the paycut to help the Knicks acquire more talent and pay some of his deserving teammates, but he was very meticulous about it as well.

"Brunson's study of championship organizations and franchise stars -- Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs, the Tom Brady New England Patriots and the Derek Jeter New York Yankees -- gave him a blueprint for MVP-level players who structured contracts to give their teams the best chances at sustainable title runs," ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski writes.

The biggest difference between Brunson and the superstars above is that those players took new contracts and made sacrifices after their teams had won championships to become dynasties. Meanwhile, Brunson and the Knicks haven't even made it to the Eastern Conference Finals together, and the franchise hasn't made it to that point in the playoffs since the 1999-2000 season.

Brunson's goals are different and he hopes under the lifespan of this deal that the fortunes will change, but it makes this bargain signing unprecedented. Sports hasn't seen a deal quite like this where a player willingly gives up that much cash to try and win.

It solidifies Brunson's status as one of the most popular sports figures in the 21st century, but at the end of the day, New York won't care about his legacy if he doesn't follow through on winning a championship.

The Knicks simply have to win a title now. Too much has been sacrificed by Brunson to come up short, and the Knicks will have to do whatever it takes to put him around the people that need to get him to the promised land.

If the Knicks come up short, it may go down as one of the biggest blunders in NBA and sports history.

Make sure you bookmark All Knicks for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Jul 13, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.