Pablo Torre, a renowned sports investigator and reporter, dropped a bombshell report on the allegations of Kawhi Leonard signing a fraudulent endorsement deal with a tree-planting company. This deal allegedly enabled the Clippers to circumvent the NBA salary cap and pay Kawhi Leonard beyond the limits it prescribes.
Following these allegations, famous sports analyst Dan Patrick invited Pablo Torre on his show, where he disclosed that “enemies of Jalen Brunson” have flooded his tip lines asking him to investigate Jalen Brunson’s deal with the Knicks.
“My tipline has never been more used by enemies of Jalen Brunson. ‘Look into that one,’ as well as James Harden and all of those rumors from the past,” said Torre on Dan Patrick’s show.
“Well, look, how he arrived at the Knicks, this is where I have to defer to the reporting I may or may not do on this, certainly was interesting… That’s a pretty good deal for the Knicks, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself… It’s a bit of a tease,” said Torre when Patrick asked him if he would look into Brunson and the Knicks.
Torre’s initial report suggests Kawhi Leonard signed a $28 million endorsement deal with the company with the sole objective of circumventing the salary cap without needing to endorse anything. It was met with vehement opposition from the Mavericks’ minority owner Mark Cuban.
But fans seem to believe that Brunson and the Knicks may have come up with a similar arrangement to go beyond the limits of the salary cap while signing a team-friendly deal on paper. They took to social media and expressed their opinions on whether Jalen Brunson’s deal with the Knicks warrants an investigation.
“Hey Pablo, it’s time to dig into the Knicks.”
“Want us to believe he left $113 million on the table.”
“This is like NIL under the table all over again.”
“More like a future ownership stake in MSG pending his retirement.”
“We don’t need anybody doing research into this one,” said a skeptical Knicks fan.
“Pablo Torre, don’t you fucking dare,” said a worried Brunson fan.
“Jalen is doing an appearance this afternoon at the ice cream shop, paying him $58M/yr endorsement deal.”
“He doesn’t need under-the-table money; he can do pretty much anything for free in NY. He’s the king of the city, endless endorsements, not to mention he wants to win badly.”
To give the Knicks more financial freedom and enable them to assemble a roster capable of winning a championship, Jalen Brunson agreed to a pay cut of about $113 million when he extended his contract with the team in 2024. He agreed to a four-year deal worth $156.5 million, which includes a player option in the fourth year.
Brunson will be eligible for a supermax contract extension. He will be eligible for an extension from the 2027-28 season due to his additional years of experience with the Knicks and a higher estimated salary cap by 2029, when he could sign a supermax extension equivalent to 35% of the salary cap at the time.
Inspired by other great sportsmen who negotiated contracts to boost their teams’ championship hopes, he put team success and a strong roster ahead of his own personal financial gain. But that’s just what we have been told are his intentions.
If a potential investigation reveals otherwise, that would truly raise questions on the entire NBA free agency system and not just Brunson and the Knicks.
