Jalen Brunson Signs Affordable Extension to Stay With Knicks

Jalen Brunson's new contract extension offers the New York Knicks some much-needed financial flexibility.

May 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts after a score against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half of game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

So valuable has Jalen Brunson been to the New York Knicks, he's at a point where he's generating assists during the offseason.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Brunson is set to ink a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension with the Knicks, one set to keep him in Manhattan through 2030. Had Brunson put the extension off, it would've cost a heftier $269 million for five years.

Instead, Brunson, apparently fully bought in on what the Knicks have to offer, afforded the team some financial flexibility, which will be especially crucial considering that his fellow All-Star Julius Randle is likewise due for an extension sooner rather than later.

Per a breakdown from Wojnarowski, the new extension, negotiated by Sam Rose of Creative Artists Agency (the son of Knicks president Leon) kicks in come 2025-26, which will pay Brunson $34.9 million, 140 percent of the $24.9 million he's due to make in the final year of his original eal.. The next two years inflate to $37.7 and $40.5 million respectively before finishing out with a $43.3 million player option.

"Brunson's deal keeps the Knicks out of the second-apron level of the salary cap, a punitive threshold that severely limits a team's ability to make trades, sign players, and use draft picks," Wojnarowski wrote. "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."

Since inking a four-year, $104 million contract ... which looks like a bargain with every passing night ... Brunson has met and likely exceeded every expectation placed upon him in Manhattan, turning the Knicks into a legitimate NBA championship contender and establishing himself as one of the premier backcourt men in the game.

With New York, Brunson has averaged 26.5 points and 6.5 assists since coming over from the Dallas Mavericks, earning both his first All-Star and All-NBA team nominations. With Brunson in tow, New York is one of three teams to win at least one playoff round in each of the past two years, an accomplishment shared only with the last two champions, Denver and Boston.

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