Jalen Brunson really did it.
The star Knicks point guard gave the Knicks what amounts to a nine-figure discount on his contract extension, several outlets reported Friday.
Brunson’s agent told ESPN that the player had agreed to a four-year, $156 million extension. That’s the largest deal Brunson was eligible to sign this summer, but if he waited until next year, he could have signed a five-year, $270 million contract. The agent, Sam Rose, told ESPN that the new deal has a fourth-year player option that would theoretically let Brunson make some of that money back with enormous new extensions as the salary cap rises.
The deal does help a Knicks team that is gunning to contend around Brunson’s Villanova teammates Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and Mikal Bridges, whom the Knicks traded for earlier this summer. The cheaper extension keeps New York under the second apron, setting up future salary cap flexibility.
Brunson has been the best addition for the Knicks in ages, transforming the franchise into a serious Eastern Conference contender.
The agent, Sam Rose, is the son of team president Leon Rose. Brunson’s father, Rick, is an assistant under Tom Thibodeau’s staff, and was Leon Rose’s first client when he was playing in the NBA. The elder Rose was a player agent before taking over the Knicks.
