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Jalen Brunson Signs Four Year, USD 156.5 Million Extension With Knicks: Report
Jalen Brunson secures future with Knicks in a lucrative USD 156.5 million deal, signaling a long-term commitment to the team. Read more.
Jalen Brunson has likely been the favorite professional athlete in New York for some time, but his signing of a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension with the Knicks on Friday confirmed his popularity. Although the income is notable, it's only about 58% of what he might have pocketed if he had waited till the following offseason to re-sign a five-year, $269.1 million max contract as an unrestricted free agent.
The Knicks now use these savings to build a championship team – their first since 1973, as is the hope of many.
Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges contract analysis and future salary projections
In both scenarios, the 2024-25 season makes no difference. The Knicks had no option to increase Brunson's salary for the upcoming season apart from creating cap space for a renegotiation and extension as they operated above the cap. As per his original sign-up, Brunson was always going to receive around $25 million. We start discussing new money from the 2025-26 season.
Yossi Gozlan stated that Bridges qualifies for a $156 million extension. Currently, Bridges' contract has him on the books for two more seasons with a salary hit of $23.3 million for the next year and $24.9 million for the 2025-26 season. If he takes the extension next year, he'll be locked down with the Knicks for an extra five seasons.
As Bridges will be 28 next year, his past season recorded an average of 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, shooting 43.6% overall and 37.2% from the three-point line. His stats could see a significant boost being part of a Knicks team with robust playoff aspirations.
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Exploring Brunson's Beneficial Trade-off for Bridge's Long-Term Role
In reality, Brunson is forfeiting nearly $37.1 million over three years, a sum he could have acquired by putting off another season.
Previously, Bridges played for the Brooklyn Nets, a team that had a rather turbulent year involving the substitution of Cam Thomas in place of Bridges during games. Owning a reputation as a one-time Defensive Player of the Year candidate and a First-Team All-Defense member, Bridges presents a significant boost for the Knicks as a wing player. His stellar track record regarding health further substantiates his worth to the squad.
Given the now freed-up salary cap due to Brunson's move, the Knicks stand in an ideal position to lock Bridges with a long-term deal. This maneuver underlines Brunson's investment in the team's prosperity and showcases his altruism.
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