Jalen Brunson ‘completely satisfied’ with Knicks discount

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson gave the New York Knicks a $113 million cut of their potential salary and they gave him the title of team captain.

Two seasons into a partnership that has contributed to the Knicks’ greatest success in a quarter century, it’s clear the team and the player believe in each other. Now, at least, they have a few more years to determine if it can yield something more.

“This is literally just the beginning,” Brunson said Thursday.

The team hosted a ceremonial event for Brunson at Madison Square Garden, complete with former stars including Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing and celebrities including actor and Knicks fan Ben Stiller. Ewing narrated a video featuring a photo of him with Brunson as a boy, when his father, Rick, played for the Knicks.

“People just want to be around you, Jalen,” Ewing said in the video. “You’re a natural born leader.”

That was as much of a draw for the Knicks as his playing ability when they signed him in the summer of 2022. Coach Tom Thibodeau, who had Rick Brunson as an assistant coach in Chicago and again in New York, watched Brunson grow up and noticed not only how hard he worked, but how other players gravitated to him.

But even some of those players couldn’t be blamed for questioning Brunson’s financial situation this summer.

He signed a four-year contract extension worth approximately $156.5 million. If Brunson had finished the final year of his current deal next season and then become a free agent, he would have been eligible for a five-year, $269 million contract.

Other players have taken less than their maximum allowable salary, with few even considering leaving an extra $113 million on the table.

“I think about every decision I make and I’m completely happy with it,” Brunson said.

“Of course I’m wealthy, myself and my family, we’re obviously wealthy, so that’s the most important thing. But I want to win. I want to win here.”

Brunson’s financial sacrifice certainly makes that easier, with stiffer penalties for teams that exceed the salary cap now part of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. And with the Knicks giving OG Anunoby a five-year, $210 million-plus contract, trading Mikal Bridges and Julius Randle also eligible for an extension, building a winning team and then keeping it together wouldn’t be easy, so Brunson has no second thoughts about his decision.

“Winning is more important than anything I do individually,” Brunson said.

The Knicks have been doing just that since convincing Brunson to leave the Dallas Mavericks. They’ve advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals in both seasons after not having been there at all since 2013, and have won playoff series for the first time in nine straight years, from 1992 to 2000.

Brunson led last season’s 50-win team with 28.7 points per game, fourth in the NBA. He made his first All-Star team, finished fifth in voting for the NBA’s MVP award and then excelled in the playoffs, becoming the first player since Michael Jordan with four consecutive postseason games of 40 or more points.

Brunson said Thursday, however, that all he could think about last season was breaking his left hand in the second half of the Knicks’ second-round loss to the Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks have built a team they believe can go further, and Brunson is eager to lead it. He said he’s studied players like the Yankees’ Derek Jeter and the Patriots’ Tom Brady, who led their franchises to multiple titles and were known for their team-first approach.

“People can say they want to do a lot, but it’s all about their actions,” Brunson said. “This doesn’t guarantee that we’re going to win a championship, right? This is just me wanting to do my part to help this team get one. So it’s all about the journey and I’m glad to be a part of it.”