New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson noted that he hoped the team would “do right” by him when it’s time to sign a new contract, per comments made in an interview with Tom Kludt of Vanity Fair.
“Obviously we’d love for them to do right by me,” Brunson says. “I think anyone would. I feel like I sacrificed.”
It’s hard to argue otherwise.
Brunson signed a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension in July 2024. That figure was roughly $113.5 million than the five-year, $270 million max extension he could have signed, and him doing so kept the Knicks below the second apron and gave the team financial flexibility to improve the team.
In two years from now, Brunson is eligible for a max extension of five years and $417.8 million deal.
Brunson has injected great life into a Knicks team that’s searching for its first NBA title since 1973.
Prior to his arrival in 2022, the Knicks were mostly bad aside from a few brief moments of happiness in the first two-plus decades of the 21st century.
However, New York has made the playoffs three straight years under Brunson’s leadership, and the team is well on its way to four straight postseason trips thanks to this year’s 35-20 record, good enough for third in the Eastern Conference.
Brunson has been named an All-Star in three straight seasons, and he made All-NBA Second Team each of the past two years. He also won Clutch Player of the Year honors in 2024-25.
This year, Brunson has averaged 27.0 points on 47.0 percent shooting, 6.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. He’s faring quite well once again for a Knicks team hoping for an NBA title and certainly is (and has made) a great case for New York to reward him handsomely on his next contract.
Brunson and the Knicks begin the post-All-Star portion of the season on Thursday vs. the first-place Detroit Pistons.