NBA Champion Criticizes Jalen Brunson's Deal With Knicks

Jalen Brunson's contract extension with the New York Knicks, defined by sacrifice, couldn't please everyone.

Mar 18, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors center Draymond Green (23) and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) share a laugh during the first half at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

It's not easy being Green, especially when the New York Knicks make a move.

Recurring New York Knicks doubter Draymond Green once again found issue with Manhattan's basketball business, this time taking aim at Jalen Brunson's sacrificial contract extension. The Golden State Warriors star at least brought a new argument to the table, claiming that the point guard would come to regret leaving nine figures on the table with the windfalls of the NBA's television deals about to hit.

"Some of these extensions I've been looking at, like Jalen signed a four-year, do they not realize that there is TV money coming up?" Green asked during an appearance on the Club 520 Podcast. "The deals are about to get bigger. So he took four for $154 (million). In a-year-and-a-half, he is going to be making mid-level.”

Green did mention that he was "happy" for Brunson and claimed to have him on the cusp of inclusion in his list of the top five second-round picks of all-time (a list he includes himself on). Host and former NBA veteran Jeff Teague was more sympathetic, including Brunson on his personal list over Green's inclusion of Gilbert Arenas.

Brunson has made the Knicks a star attraction to the NBA's new partners and he's set to stay through the end of the decade: by inking his extension now rather than later, Brunson saved New York $113 million in future assets, significantly increasing the chances of maintaining a core that won 50 games and the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket last year.

By now, it's clear not everyone approves of Brunson's sacrifice: Dennis Scott claimed to have told Brunson's father and Knicks assistant coach Rick that his son "messed up the game" while former New York rival Paul Pierce chided Brunson for leaving money on the table.

This is far from the first time the Green has targeted Brunson and the Knicks, as he was one of their most vocal critics during last spring's playoff run, which he indirectly referred to as a "fluke." The Knicks have done what they can to shed that notion, trading for Brunson's fellow Villanova alum Mikal Bridges and re-signing OG Anunoby and head coach Tom Thibodeau to extensions of their own. That, however, only heightened Green's wrath, as he has hardly spared an offseason appearance of his Knicks thoughts.

Brunson should make plenty of appearances on NBC and Amazon's television networks, which join incumbents ABC and ESPN in time for the 2025-26 season. The new television contract is said to be worth roughly $76 million and should have significant, if not fruitful, ramifications on player salaries.

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