Jalen Brunson’s Future with the Knicks

Jalen Brunson has been a key player for the Knicks recently, and he’s hoping that they’ll continue to rally around him in the upcoming games.

The star guard recently revealed a four-year contract extension worth $156.5 million, which takes effect this season and runs through the 2024-25 season. It’s interesting to note that this deal is quite favorable for the team; had he waited another year, he might have secured an additional $113 million with a different contract.

Yet, there’s a possibility that Brunson could be a free agent again unless he chooses his player option for 2028-2029. If that happens, he would qualify for a maximum five-year deal that could exceed $417 million.

Brunson expressed his desire for the Knicks to thrive. He shared, “If I’m thinking of playing well to make sure I get paid, that could be ruinous for me. You play your best when you feel free, and that was the case for me as well. A lot of people say I sacrificed for the team. I sacrificed 100 percent for the team. But most importantly, I made sure that I and my family were taken care of.” He added, “Of course, we want my family to do the right thing for me. I think that’s the case with everyone. I feel like I made a sacrifice.”

Now 29, Brunson has been an All-Star for three straight seasons and shows no signs of slowing down this year. He’s averaging 27 points per game on 47% shooting, along with 6.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds. While the Knicks have had a rollercoaster season, they currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 35 wins and 20 losses, just six games behind the Pistons.

However, Brunson mentioned back in early February that he wasn’t overly concerned about the outcomes of regular season games. “I don’t look at the regular season games as a barometer, because in the playoffs, the game of basketball is different,” he said to reporters. “Especially when you’re talking about seven-game series. I’ve been on different teams that reached the Finals or went deep in the playoffs where they defeated teams that they lost to during the regular season.”