Jalen Brunson is staying with the Knicks on a massive discount. The All-Star guard agreed to a four-year, $156.5 million extension on Friday, per reports. By signing this contract now instead of next offseason, the All-NBA Second Team selection is leaving more than $100 million in guaranteed money on the table. Brunson would have been eligible for a five-year, $269 million extension next summer.
On its face, that’s a $113M sacrifice that will be a massive boon for the Knicks’ ability to keep this team — which is about to become extremely expensive in the coming years — together for the long term, as the Knicks’ OG Anunoby, Julius Randle and Mikal Bridges will join Brunson in making more than $23M next season.
In reality, it’s really only a $37M over the next three years, as Brunson is likely signing this extension now with a player option on the fourth year to become a free agent in the summer of 2028, when he will be at the 10-year mark of his career, making him eligible to sign a whopping five-year, $417M extension. CBS salary-cap expert Sam Quinn breaks down all the nerd numbers here.
Still, $37M isn’t chump change, and besides that, a lot can happen between now and 2028. Remember when Isaiah Thomas was was believed to be on track for a $200M contract only to suffer an injury which derailed his entire career before he could actually sign? He has made less than $15M since.
So Brunson takes that possibility off the table by securing his money now, while also saving the Knicks a ton of short-term money and lining up his ultimate payday on the shortest timeline possible. This is a win every way you look at it. Brunson just became a sainted figure in New York.
require.config({“baseUrl”:”https:\/\/sportsfly.cbsistatic.com\/fly-0738\/bundles\/sportsmediajs\/js-build”,”config”:{“version”:{“fly\/components\/accordion”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/alert”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/base”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/carousel”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/dropdown”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/fixate”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/form-validate”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/image-gallery”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/iframe-messenger”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/load-more”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/load-more-article”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/load-more-scroll”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/loading”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/modal”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/modal-iframe”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/network-bar”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/poll”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/search-player”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/social-button”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/social-counts”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/social-links”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/tabs”:”1.0″,”fly\/components\/video”:”1.0″,”fly\/libs\/easy-xdm”:”2.4.17.1″,”fly\/libs\/jquery.cookie”:”1.2″,”fly\/libs\/jquery.throttle-debounce”:”1.1″,”fly\/libs\/jquery.widget”:”1.9.2″,”fly\/libs\/omniture.s-code”:”1.0″,”fly\/utils\/jquery-mobile-init”:”1.0″,”fly\/libs\/jquery.mobile”:”1.3.2″,”fly\/libs\/backbone”:”1.0.0″,”fly\/libs\/underscore”:”1.5.1″,”fly\/libs\/jquery.easing”:”1.3″,”fly\/managers\/ad”:”2.0″,”fly\/managers\/components”:”1.0″,”fly\/managers\/cookie”:”1.0″,”fly\/managers\/debug”:”1.0″,”fly\/managers\/geo”:”1.0″,”fly\/managers\/gpt”:”4.3″,”fly\/managers\/history”:”2.0″,”fly\/managers\/madison”:”1.0″,”fly\/managers\/social-authentication”:”1.0″,”fly\/utils\/data-prefix”:”1.0″,”fly\/utils\/data-selector”:”1.0″,”fly\/utils\/function-natives”:”1.0″,”fly\/utils\/guid”:”1.0″,”fly\/utils\/log”:”1.0″,”fly\/utils\/object-helper”:”1.0″,”fly\/utils\/string-helper”:”1.0″,”fly\/utils\/string-vars”:”1.0″,”fly\/utils\/url-helper”:”1.0″,”libs\/jshashtable”:”2.1″,”libs\/select2″:”3.5.1″,”libs\/jsonp”:”2.4.0″,”libs\/jquery\/mobile”:”1.4.5″,”libs\/modernizr.custom”:”2.6.2″,”libs\/velocity”:”1.2.2″,”libs\/dataTables”:”1.10.6″,”libs\/dataTables.fixedColumns”:”3.0.4″,”libs\/dataTables.fixedHeader”:”2.1.2″,”libs\/dateformat”:”1.0.3″,”libs\/waypoints\/infinite”:”3.1.1″,”libs\/waypoints\/inview”:”3.1.1″,”libs\/waypoints\/jquery.waypoints”:”3.1.1″,”libs\/waypoints\/sticky”:”3.1.1″,”libs\/jquery\/dotdotdot”:”1.6.1″,”libs\/jquery\/flexslider”:”2.1″,”libs\/jquery\/lazyload”:”1.9.3″,”libs\/jquery\/maskedinput”:”1.3.1″,”libs\/jquery\/marquee”:”1.3.1″,”libs\/jquery\/numberformatter”:”1.2.3″,”libs\/jquery\/placeholder”:”0.2.4″,”libs\/jquery\/scrollbar”:”0.1.6″,”libs\/jquery\/tablesorter”:”2.0.5″,”libs\/jquery\/touchswipe”:”1.6.18″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.core”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.draggable”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.mouse”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.position”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.slider”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.sortable”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.touch-punch”:”0.2.3″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.autocomplete”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.accordion”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.tabs”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.menu”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.dialog”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.resizable”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.button”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.tooltip”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.effects”:”1.11.4″,”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.datepicker”:”1.11.4″}},”shim”:{“liveconnection\/managers\/connection”:{“deps”:[“liveconnection\/libs\/sockjs-0.3.4″]},”liveconnection\/libs\/sockjs-0.3.4”:{“exports”:”SockJS”},”libs\/setValueFromArray”:{“exports”:”set”},”libs\/getValueFromArray”:{“exports”:”get”},”fly\/libs\/jquery.mobile-1.3.2″:[“version!fly\/utils\/jquery-mobile-init”],”libs\/backbone.marionette”:{“deps”:[“jquery”,”version!fly\/libs\/underscore”,”version!fly\/libs\/backbone”],”exports”:”Marionette”},”fly\/libs\/underscore-1.5.1″:{“exports”:”_”},”fly\/libs\/backbone-1.0.0″:{“deps”:[“version!fly\/libs\/underscore”,”jquery”],”exports”:”Backbone”},”libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.tabs-1.11.4″:[“jquery”,”version!libs\/jquery\/ui\/jquery.ui.core”,”version!fly\/libs\/jquery.widget”],”libs\/jquery\/flexslider-2.1″:[“jquery”],”libs\/dataTables.fixedColumns-3.0.4″:[“jquery”,”version!libs\/dataTables”],”libs\/dataTables.fixedHeader-2.1.2″:[“jquery”,”version!libs\/dataTables”],”https:\/\/sports.cbsimg.net\/js\/CBSi\/app\/VideoPlayer\/AdobePass-min.js”:[“https:\/\/sports.cbsimg.net\/js\/CBSi\/util\/Utils-min.js”]},”map”:{“*”:{“adobe-pass”:”https:\/\/sports.cbsimg.net\/js\/CBSi\/app\/VideoPlayer\/AdobePass-min.js”,”facebook”:”https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js”,”facebook-debug”:”https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all\/debug.js”,”google”:”https:\/\/apis.google.com\/js\/plusone.js”,”google-csa”:”https:\/\/www.google.com\/adsense\/search\/async-ads.js”,”google-javascript-api”:”https:\/\/www.google.com\/jsapi”,”google-client-api”:”https:\/\/accounts.google.com\/gsi\/client”,”gpt”:”https:\/\/securepubads.g.doubleclick.net\/tag\/js\/gpt.js”,”hlsjs”:”https:\/\/cdnjs.cloudflare.com\/ajax\/libs\/hls.js\/1.0.7\/hls.js”,”recaptcha”:”https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?onload=loadRecaptcha&render=explicit”,”recaptcha_ajax”:”https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api\/js\/recaptcha_ajax.js”,”supreme-golf”:”https:\/\/sgapps-staging.supremegolf.com\/search\/assets\/js\/bundle.js”,”taboola”:”https:\/\/cdn.taboola.com\/libtrc\/cbsinteractive-cbssports\/loader.js”,”twitter”:”https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js”,”video-avia”:”https:\/\/vidtech.cbsinteractive.com\/avia-js\/2.12.0\/player\/avia.min.js”,”video-avia-ui”:”https:\/\/vidtech.cbsinteractive.com\/avia-js\/2.12.0\/plugins\/ui\/avia.ui.min.js”,”video-avia-gam”:”https:\/\/vidtech.cbsinteractive.com\/avia-js\/2.12.0\/plugins\/gam\/avia.gam.min.js”,”video-avia-hls”:”https:\/\/vidtech.cbsinteractive.com\/avia-js\/2.12.0\/plugins\/hls\/avia.hls.min.js”,”video-avia-playlist”:”https:\/\/vidtech.cbsinteractive.com\/avia-js\/2.12.0\/plugins\/playlist\/avia.playlist.min.js”,”video-ima3″:”https:\/\/imasdk.googleapis.com\/js\/sdkloader\/ima3.js”,”video-ima3-dai”:”https:\/\/imasdk.googleapis.com\/js\/sdkloader\/ima3_dai.js”,”video-utils”:”https:\/\/sports.cbsimg.net\/js\/CBSi\/util\/Utils-min.js”,”video-vast-tracking”:”https:\/\/vidtech.cbsinteractive.com\/sb55\/vast-js\/vtg-vast-client.js”}},”waitSeconds”:300});
