Dallas Mavericks point guard Jalen Brunson is hoping to cash in this NBA offseason as a free agent. His game improved this season, stepping up when the team was without superstar Luka Doncic. In the postseason, through two games without Doncic, Brunson has taken his game to yet another level.
Brunson has been excellent picking up the slack, including a Doncic-Esque 41 point, eight rebounds, five-assist performance in Game 2 against the Utah Jazz to get Dallas a much-needed win at home to tie the series up. For the series, he is averaging 32.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and five assists per game.
This is just improving Brunson’s resume as he heads toward unrestricted free agency this summer. Because of the kind of contract he signed when he was selected in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, Brunson isn’t subjected to restricted free agency. That is tough for Dallas, as they will not have the chance to match any offer sheet that Brunson signs like they would if he was a restricted free agent.
Instead, the Dallas Mavericks will have to compete with the rest of the teams in the league for his services as an unrestricted free agent. One team that has Brunson squarely in their crosshairs is the New York Knicks.
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New York has been searching for an answer at the point guard position for years and there are a lot of people within the organization that believe Brunson is the answer. Leon Rose in the front office and head coach Tom Thibodeau adore Brunson and have a relationship with his father, a former Knicks point guard himself, Rick Brunson.
Jalen Brunson is looking to break the bank this offseason, reportedly seeking a deal that will pay him at least $20 million annually. Some risks come with him, as there is signing any free agent to a lucrative contract, but one scout that talked to the New York Post made an eyebrow-raising comparison when talking about Brunson.
“Jalen is a poor man’s version of Fred VanVleet,” the scout said.
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Well, that is certainly a hot take. Fred VanVleet was another player connected to the Knicks when he hit free agency, but he re-signed with the Toronto Raptors, which some people were happy about in Knicks circles as VanVleet drew comparisons to Raymond Felton for his body type.
At this point, even a poor man’s VanVleet would represent a huge upgrade for the Knicks compared to what they have been trotting out there on opening night the last few years. Alec Burks, a shooting guard and wing player by trade, was pushed into the starting point guard role this season.
Burks did what he could while playing out of position, but this is a low bar to clear. Brunson, even if he doesn’t make any improvements from how he is playing this season, would be the best point guard the Knicks have had, when accounting for age and talent, since Stephon Marbury.
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There are risks giving a 6’1” point guard with some limitations in his game the size of contract that he is seeking. But, given how big of a black hole the position has been for the Knicks, aggressively pursuing Jalen Brunson is something they should do.
