Jalen Brunson has the New York Knicks looking like a team to fear in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, and the guard and his team may be facing a monumental financial decision this coming offseason.
“They’re gonna try to max him out as soon as they can this summer,” one league source told Heavy Sports. “He has a $100 million decision coming. Sign now for $150 million or wait and sign for $250 million. It is a nice problem to have but it is not a slam-dunk which way he’ll go.”
Brunson has played at an MVP level lately and established himself among the best players in the league. Starting with a 61-point effort on March 29, he has scored at least 30 points in seven of his past eight games.
He has dropped 43, 45 and 39 points, respectively, in his past three outings, all Knicks victories. That includes a convincing win at the Boston Celtics on Thursday when he shot 62.5 percent from the floor (15-for-23).
All of that has helped the Knicks climb into third place in the Eastern Conference, just one game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for second place. New York has a 48-32 record with two home games remaining, against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday and Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
These are exciting times for the Knicks, who last season won a playoff series for the first time since 2013. They have not advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals since the 1999-00 campaign.
Brunson has clearly been the catalyst for a team that has been playing without All-Star Julius Randle since late January. After an excellent start with New York, in-season trade acquisition O.G. Anunoby also has been dealing with an injury and only recently made his return.
With Brunson emerging as the franchise player the Knicks have been searching for, it is easy to see why the team would want to secure him with a new contract as soon as possible. But the 27-year-old has decisions to make on his own as well.
Interestingly, he did not sign an extension with the Dallas Mavericks and left them to sign with the Knicks prior to the 2022-23 season. He has one guaranteed season remaining on that contract with a player option after the 2024-25 campaign. He can sign an extension this offseason, but if he waits until becoming a free agent, a max deal could be worth significantly more.
The Knicks look ready to make some noise this postseason, but the real headlines could come from Brunson’s decisions this coming offseason.
