Jalen Brunson will hit unrestricted free agency this summer. Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images
THE NEW YORK KNICKS, a franchise with deep ties to the Brunson family, and the Detroit Pistons are expected by league sources to pursue him. Others could emerge.
Mavs governor Mark Cuban has stated he plans to re-sign Brunson and is well aware the price tag has become significantly more expensive, which would push Dallas well into the luxury tax. The Mavs have Brunson's Bird rights, so they can give him a five-year deal while other teams are limited to four-year offers. Dallas would not have salary-cap space if Brunson leaves, so his departure would create a gaping void.
Dallas could have signed Brunson to a four-year extension for as much as $55.5 million before the season, but the Mavs didn't offer it then nor did they engage in negotiations with Brunson's representatives. He was coming off a disappointing first playoff series of his career, as former Mavs coach Rick Carlisle drastically cut Brunson's minutes in the final few games of the seven-game exit against the LA Clippers.
"It sat with me all summer," Brunson said at the start of training camp.
Nor were the Mavs willing to make that commitment midseason, when Brunson had transitioned from sixth man to starter and was thriving. An extension would have handcuffed the Mavs from including Brunson if a trade for a star materialized. Dallas offered the extension immediately after the Feb. 10 trade deadline, when Mavs forward Dorian Finney-Smith signed an identical deal.
THE NEW YORK KNICKS, a franchise with deep ties to the Brunson family, and the Detroit Pistons are expected by league sources to pursue him. Others could emerge.
Mavs governor Mark Cuban has stated he plans to re-sign Brunson and is well aware the price tag has become significantly more expensive, which would push Dallas well into the luxury tax. The Mavs have Brunson's Bird rights, so they can give him a five-year deal while other teams are limited to four-year offers. Dallas would not have salary-cap space if Brunson leaves, so his departure would create a gaping void.
Dallas could have signed Brunson to a four-year extension for as much as $55.5 million before the season, but the Mavs didn't offer it then nor did they engage in negotiations with Brunson's representatives. He was coming off a disappointing first playoff series of his career, as former Mavs coach Rick Carlisle drastically cut Brunson's minutes in the final few games of the seven-game exit against the LA Clippers.
"It sat with me all summer," Brunson said at the start of training camp.
Nor were the Mavs willing to make that commitment midseason, when Brunson had transitioned from sixth man to starter and was thriving. An extension would have handcuffed the Mavs from including Brunson if a trade for a star materialized. Dallas offered the extension immediately after the Feb. 10 trade deadline, when Mavs forward Dorian Finney-Smith signed an identical deal.