Jalen Brunson reveals how Mavericks dragging their feet made Knicks dream a reality
NY Post
The Mavericks might regret turning the cold shoulder on Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks superstar repeated on Wednesday that he not only wanted to stay in Dallas, but prior to the 2021-22 season, he tried to work out an extension with the Mavericks, but they weren’t as keen on the idea, which eventually led him to sign with New York during the next offseason.
It was similar to the sentiments Brunson expressed last March when he said he wanted to be in Dallas for the “long haul,” though this time the All-Star guard went into more detail about how the Mavericks sat on their hands as he declared he was ready to commit to the franchise.
“I really did want to stay in Dallas,” Brunson, 27, said on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. “Before my fourth season in Dallas, my last season in Dallas, we try to extend our contract — whatever we can get. The most we can get is like four years and $55 million.
“And obviously we wanted to do that, I wanted to stay there and I thought I would be there for a long time. I liked my role there.”
Dallas still wanted Brunson, who was just emerging as a starter and had not yet blossomed into the All-Star he’d later become with the Knicks.