Jalen Brunson earns a new deal after averaging 28.7 points per game last season as New York reached the East semis.
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Star point guard Jalen Brunson has agreed to an extension with the Knicks, the team announced Friday.
New York’s point guard ✍️ pic.twitter.com/E2C8hoRkpE
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) July 12, 2024
Terms of the contract were not provided.
But ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who broke the news, reported that Brunson agreed to a four-year extension at below market value in the hopes of providing New York with financial flexibility in its pursuit of an NBA title.
Brunson will reportedly be paid $156.5 million over those four years. Had he waited until next summer, Brunson could have signed a five-year extension for $269 million, a difference of roughly $113 million.
In a largely unprecedented financial concession to give roster flexibility to a contender, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson has agreed on a four-year, $156.5 million extension, his agent Sam Rose of CAA tells ESPN — $113M less guaranteed than he’s eligible to receive in one… pic.twitter.com/DDJvz7TUlr
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2024
Brunson’s agent Sam Rose told Wojnarowski that his client took less to aid New York’s front office as it seeks to build on a promising young roster that just produced the team’s best season in years.
Brunson was a key factor in that success, averaging 28.7 points during the regular season before routinely putting up huge games in the playoffs, including a stretch of four straight 40-point outbursts, before the Knicks succumbed to injuries in the East semifinals against Indiana. He finished fifth in the voting for Kia MVP.
“Jalen has embraced every challenge since he’s come to New York and has been committed since day one to the vision and plan we set forth for the future of this team. Since Jalen joined us two years ago, he has consistently led by example and continues to show a willingness to sacrifice for this organization, his teammates and everyone in the Knicks family,” Knicks President Leon Rose said in a statement.
Brunson’s extension will begin with the 2025-26 season and his decision to take lesser money now should help the Knicks manage their payroll after a busy offseason in which they have re-signed OG Anunoby on a five-year contract worth more than $210 million and acquired standout forward Mikal Bridges from the Nets.
The 27-year-old Brunson has averaged 26.5 points in his two seasons with the Knicks.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
