It is no secret by now that the Dallas Mavericks should have kept Jalen Brunson. However, there seems to be more to the story than many originally knew. Brunson himself said that he tried to sign a contract extension a couple different occasions.
“It’s funny, because my agent was like, “You can get more, you can more.” “I’m saying “Well, I just want to be safe. I’m not trying to gamble right now. This is not something you really gamble with if it’s out there.
“But they were like, “We went to see where we’re at by like 20, 25 games into the season.” “But were like, well, if we’re not going to do it, I kind of don’t want to do it until after the season. I’m not trying to think about this during the season.
“So there’s a period where Luka [Doncic] went out and I started to start. I was playing really well. I think I was averaging like 20 and 6 maybe. It was about that 20 to 25 mark. And so we went back, like “If the deal is there, we’re thinking about it, like, I’ll do it like right now.” “Still, it was no. It wasn’t a hard no. It was just like “We want to see, we want to see.” “The trade deadline comes, I’m like thinking if I’m not getting extended, I’m probably going to get traded…
“The deal came on the table after the trade deadline. I was like “No, I think I’ve outgrown that now. Personally, that what I thought. “I think I’ve outgrown that.”
Brunson is now thriving with the New York Knicks as the first option and made his first All-Star Team this season.
Jalen Brunson Wanted to Stay With Dallas Mavericks
The All-Star is Thriving in New York
One could argue that Jalen Brunson was never gonna reach his true ceiling playing with Luka Doncic. Now, his full abilities have been unlocked. On the year, he is averaging 27.6 points, 6.5 assists per game, and a field goal percentage of 48.3 percent. Brunson has also become a sharpshooter from beyond the arc as he is striking it at a rate of 41.1 percent from deep this season.
He has become one of the best on-ball creators in the league ever since arriving in New York and he and All-Star, Julius Randle, have developed into a solid star duo. Brunson has taken on more of a leadership role as well and it has paid dividends as the Knicks are in the top-four of the Eastern Conference as of February 22nd, 2024. All in all, the New York Knicks hit a home run by signing Jalen Brunson.
