The New York Knicks are going to be on the hunt for an upgrade at the point guard position this NBA offseason. Free agency doesn’t have too many options, but one player they will certainly pursue is Jalen Brunson.
Brunson is wrapping up the final year of his rookie contract with the Dallas Mavericks and with every game in the postseason, his price is going up. He has scored at least 23 points in all five games thus far against the Utah Jazz and has turned into a main cog in the team’s rotation.
The Knicks would love to insert Brunson into their starting point guard role. If he is looking for an opportunity to be the lead ball-handler and playmaker, the Knicks can provide him that chance. He brings a lot of positives to the table, as he is a proven leader and winner. His scoring would help take pressure off of RJ Barrett and Julius Randle and he can set the table for his teammates.
The biggest hurdle for New York will be clearing enough cap space to sign him outright to a deal. The New York Knicks will have to make some moves if they want to open up at least $20 million in cap space to make a competitive offer. They could need upwards of $25 million according to some executives.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Dallas Mavericks Turned Down Chance To Sign Jalen Brunson To Contract?
One way that they could make that happen is via sign-and-trade. That has become a popular avenue for teams to add talent to their roster in recent years as the team losing a player in free agency will at least recoup some assets in return. However, that doesn’t sound like it will be an option for the Knicks.
According to ESPN, the Dallas Mavericks have no plans in helping a team facilitate a sign-and-trade deal centered around Jalen Brunson.
“The Knicks, who could give Brunson the opportunity to be a full-time primary ball handler, need to shed salary to have the flexibility to sign him but could feasibly create $20 million or more in cap space. League sources say the Mavs have no intention of cooperating in potential sign-and-trade scenarios.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Dallas Mavericks Turned Down Chance To Sign Jalen Brunson To Contract?
That is the only real bargaining power that the Dallas Mavericks have since Brunson is an unrestricted free agent. As a restricted free agent, they would have had the opportunity to match any offer sheet that he signed, but that doesn’t apply to unrestricted free agents.
Not cooperating in a sign-and-trade means that Brunson would have to sign for significantly less money to join a team such as the New York Knicks with their current salary cap situation. But, they have some very moveable pieces, so if they needed to make some changes to outright sign Brunson, they would be able to.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Dallas Mavericks Turned Down Chance To Sign Jalen Brunson To Contract?
It will be something to keep an eye on once free agency gets underway. Dallas should change their stance if it looks like retaining Brunson isn’t going to happen as it would be their only avenue to adding players to the roster.
Given their salary cap situation, they will not come close to finding a player capable of filling Jalen Brunson’s role on the team with what they can spend on free agents. At least in a sign-and-trade scenario, they may be able to get some rotation players or draft capital in return.
