Did Mavs Losing Jalen Brunson to Knicks Change NBA’s New CBA?

Under the latest version of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Mavs would have been protected from Jalen Brunson's free agency departure to the Knicks.

DALLAS — When the Dallas Mavericks entered the offseason having missed the postseason after making a Western Conference Finals appearance the year before. Jalen Brunson was set to reach unrestricted free agency after that WCF run, and the New York Knicks created more than enough salary cap space to sign him to a four-year, $104 million contract. 

After Brunson was drafted in 2018, the Mavs signed him to a four-year, $6.1 million contract without a final-year team option being included. Had Brunson signed a contract with a team option, he would have been a restricted free agent after his deal expired.

Based on changes to the latest version of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Brunson would have instead been a restricted free agent last summer. The reasoning is that a second-round pick signed to a four-year deal will now enter the market as a restricted free agent instead of being unrestricted. 

ESPN's Front Office Insider Bobby Marks used Brunson's departure from the Mavs as a prime example of how the second-round signing exception will protect teams. 

"For the teams using the exception, the risk of losing a second-round pick to unrestricted free agency is all but eliminated," Marks wrote. "Remember back in 2018 when the Mavericks signed Jalen Brunson to a four-year contract that did not contain a team option in Year 4? That no longer exists because every player signed to a four-year contract using the second-round exception has a team option included. This allows a player to enter restricted free agency if the team option is declined."

The Mavs did have opportunities to get a contract done with Brunson in earlier stages of his tenure with the franchise. Coming off a rough playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2021, there was plenty of time between that point and when Brunson had emerged as the full-time starter amid a breakout campaign in the 2021-22 season to get a new deal done.

Under the current rules, the Mavs would have received more protection from not getting a contract done sooner before Brunson's breakout. They would have been able to operate knowing they could match whatever offer sheet he signs as a restricted free agent, which perhaps could have deterred potential suitors.  

Another angle of restricted free agency is that for a departure to transpire, there is more forced cooperation for a sign-and-trade. The Mavs would have needed to be enticed by the Knicks' potential trade return, and also be willing to part with Brunson in general for a deal to happen in that scenario. However, after averaging 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 18 playoff games during a WCF run, simply keeping the backcourt intact would have surely been a more appealing option.

Did the Mavs’ Brunson saga directly lead to the NBA making this tweak in the new CBA? It sure does seem like it.

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Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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