Jalen Brunson makes a big decision about his future with the Knicks

• Jalen Brunson is eligible to sign a contract extension.
• He could give the team a big discount.
• Brunson doesn’t care about the money.

Jalen Brunson Wants To Stay A Knick

The New York Knicks found a legitimate star and go-to guy in Jalen Brunson. They were the laughing stock of the NBA when they signed him to a four-year, $107 million deal in 2022, and that contract is now the biggest bargain in the game.

Needless to say, the Knicks want to exhaust all avenues to keep their franchise player happy and locked in for years to come, and he’s now eligible to sign another contract extension.

That doesn’t make sense for him from a financial standpoint, as he could make an additional $100 million by simply waiting for another year, as all players do. Still, a report by Steve Popper of Newsday revealed that he’s willing to give the team a massive discount and commit to them right away in the long run.

Jalen Brunson Could Give The Knicks A Massive Discount

“All indications are he won’t hold the team up now, and that he’s willing to sign a four-year, $156 million contract extension,” Popper wrote. “That would, if you’re pocket-watching at home, be more than $100 million below the extension he could possibly sign instead in the summer of 2025.”

Jalen Brunson

Brunson Is Not About The Money

This isn’t particularly shocking, even by today’s standards. Last month, Knicks insider Ian Begley talked about how he wants to stay with the team for years to come, adding that he doesn’t care about finances:

“From just right now what I had heard is he doesn’t really care about being a headline, money-making player as a free agent,” Begley said back in April. “He’s not caught up in that stuff. He likes it here; he really wants to see this organization keep going in this direction and to have success with him here.”

see also

Jalen Brunson gets brutally honest on Tom Thibodeau"s rotations

That’s not usual in an era of player empowerment where guys look to squeeze every single penny they can, so props to Brunson for this. That’s the kind of leadership that could lure multiple stars to the Big Apple while he’s there.