After they endured a disastrous 2021-22 season, the New York Knicks were determined to make a splash in free agency. The team had their eyes set on landing Jalen Brunson, and once their season ended, the Knicks got to work on ensuring they got their main man.
Knicks officials were in attendance at Mavericks playoff games last season against the Jazz, and the Knicks also hired Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father, as an assistant coach in the offseason. Once they laid the groundwork, they offered him a 4-year contract in excess of $100 million, and that was enough to get the deal over the line.
NBA Executive Thinks The Knicks Made A Great Decision By Signing Jalen Brunson
While the Knicks got their man, the consensus was that they drastically overpaid Brunson. He has never even come close to making an All-Star team, and it was, in fact, the first instance of a player signing a $100 million deal with a new team despite not having made an All-Star appearance. An NBA executive, however, feels that the team made a great move by signing Brunson and was full of praise for the Knicks.
via New York Post:
“It’s hard to get players of that ability especially at that age (26),’’ he said. “You’re getting him as he enters his prime. What they’re paying him is not an overpay. The beauty is signing him as a free agent. They don’t have to give three first-round picks or multiple assets.
“It’s one of the better moves the Knicks have made in years,’’ the personnel man said.
He is right when he says that getting Brunson as a free agent is great and that it is hard to get players of that ability. Saying it wasn’t an overpay is something we don’t agree with, though, but if Brunson balls out the way he did in the playoffs for the Mavericks, then no one is going to be talking about that how much they paid him.
If he does play well, then they might well make it back to the playoffs, which would be a huge positive, but Jeff Van Gundy isn’t too confident that they’ll achieve that. He stated that their roster isn’t on the same level as some of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and he doesn’t believe they are a lock for a play-in spot either. It might have come across as a bit harsh, but the Knicks don’t really have a superstar in a conference that is stacked with talent at the moment.
