Jalen Brunson officially a Knick with $104 million free agency deal
At last, Leon Rose and the Knicks have their point guard.
It took a lot of money — $104 million over four years, a league source confirmed to The Post — and several trades to create enough cap space, but Jalen Brunson is headed to New York City.
The Mavericks’ guard comes back to the northeast, where he spent a good portion of his childhood and won two national championships at Villanova, filling a decades-long void for the Knicks.
Brunson was initially scheduled to meet with the Mavericks, Heat and the Knicks on Thursday night before coming to a decision, but the first two meetings were called off prior to the start of the free-agency period and the player and team agreed to terms.
ESPN reported in the days leading up to the free-agency period that Dallas was only willing to offer Brunson a five-year deal in the ballpark of the four-year, $85 million deal Raptors guard Fred VanVleet signed in 2020. According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, Brunson was set on the Knicks, and money wasn’t the determining factor.
In choosing the Knicks, Brunson is reunited with his former agent in Rose, whose son Sam is his current rep. He will join RJ Barrett to form a strong 1-2 backcourt punch that could vault Tom Thibodeau’s team back into playoff contention.
Brunson knows Thibodeau well. Growing up in Illinois, with his father Rick Brunson on Thibodeau’s staff with the Bulls, Brunson frequently attended practice and developed a bond with current Knicks guard Derrick Rose. Rick, a former Knicks player, was recently added to Thibodeau’s staff. A source close to Brunson said he is very close to his father.
Brunson spent time as a kid around the Knicks, attending Rick’s games before moving away from the area, former coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy told The Post.
“When you’re raised in that life, you don’t even understand all the lessons you’re probably absorbing,” Van Gundy said. “You think about his dad. I don’t believe Rick ever had a guaranteed contract going into the year, and he played a decade. What Jalen absorbed along the way is this life of perseverance that his dad had to undertake to put food on the table.
“What I was always impressed with, you had this father showing the will to continue to fight and persevere and his mother [Sandra was] so sharp, so smart, and both the kids were always the best behaved that you could ever imagine. No entitlement at all.”
It was a busy day for the Knicks, who also reportedly signed versatile center Isaiah Hartenstein away from the Clippers on a two-year, $16 million deal. That leaves them with the $5.4 million room mid-level exception and the Bird rights to bring back center Mitchell Robisnon.
There is the idea that the Knicks are overpaying for Brunson, who just became a full time-starter for the Mavericks in December. They had to move several draft picks — including the No. 11 overall choice — and veteran players Kemba Walker, Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel to create the cap space to afford him. Brunson, a former second-round pick, has averaged 11.9 points, 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 24.7 minutes while shooting 37.3 percent from 3-point range across his five-year NBA career.
“It will make them more competitive, but it doesn’t take them to a serious contender,” an NBA scout said. “I don’t think what they have in place now — him, Julius [Randle] and RJ as your top three — is going to crack into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.”
The 25-year-old Brunson is coming off his best year as a pro, posting career-bests in points (16.3), assists (4.8), rebounds (3.9) and minutes (31.9). A three-year graduate at Villanova who was an NCAA Academic All-American, he was at his best in this year’s playoffs, helping the Mavericks reach the Western finals by posting 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He showed his potential without injured superstar Luka Doncic in the first round, producing games of 41 and 31 points in wins over the Jazz.
He fills a void at point guard for the franchise that used Burks out of position at the spot last year due to injuries to Derrick Rose and Walker. The Knicks have had 12 different opening-night starting point guards since 2009. Only Raymond Felton, in 2010 and 2012, started at the point more than once. The list has included journeymen such as Felton, Trey Burke, Ramon Sessions, Chris Duhon and Jose Calderon.
Now, the Knicks believe they have an answer at the position in the on-the-rise Brunson.