Just shortly after he was pivotal to the Dallas Mavericks’ first run to the Western Conference Finals in more than a decade in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, guard Jalen Brunson departed the squad to sign with the New York Knicks. Dallas lost the floor general for nothing in return.
Around three years removed from Brunson’s decision to spurn a Mavericks return for the Knicks, Mark Cuban hinted that it’s possible that New York circumvented the salary cap in order to sign him.
The Knicks inked Brunson to a four-year deal worth $104 million, and at the time, he was just the fourth player in franchise history to sign a deal worth at least $100 million.
“I don’t know,” Cuban said on if the Knicks circumvented the cap. “Yeah, I don’t know. I just think there was a lot at play there.”
Pablo Torre then asked Cuban if the Knicks have to worry about him uncovering any dirty laundry regarding their Brunson signing.
“That’s behind me,” he said. “More power to J.B. More power to everything. Was I happy that they only got dinged for a second-round pick? No. No — it should have been far worse, but it is what it is.”
The Knicks got docked a second-round pick back in the 2025 NBA Draft after an investigation found that they were in discussions with Brunson before he even officially became a free agent.
It’s hard to argue that the tampering wasn’t well worth the punishment for New York, as the team got little more than a slap on the wrist and Brunson has spearheaded one of the most successful eras in team history.
Not only has New York won at least one playoff series in every one of the last three years with Brunson, but it is fresh off its deepest playoff run in recent memory. The Knicks qualified for the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the year 2000 in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Maybe 2026 will be the year that Brunson delivers the Knicks a championship as well. New York is arguably the best team in the East on paper heading into the coming season and has an experienced head coach patrolling the sidelines in Mike Brown.
It’s possible folks will never get a clear answer as to whether the Knicks circumvented the salary cap to bring on Brunson, but it seems that Cuban has moved on from the whole controversy, and so should Mavericks fans as a result.
