Brunson has done New York a massive favor by agreeing to a sweetheart four-year, $156.5 million extension to stay in New York, a choice that was rumored and confirmed on Wednesday by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
If Brunson had played out his contract and become a free agent next summer he could have re-signed with the Knicks for five-years, $269.1 million — he left $112.5 million on the table. Or, look at it this way: The four-year extension Brunson signed averages $39.1 million a year, the max next year is a $53.8 million average.
First, security — Brunson doesn’t want to play anywhere else and will take the security of a deal in hand now rather than wait a year and risk injury or some other unforeseen circumstance costing him a payday.
Second, according to Fred Katz at The Athletic, Brunson understands the impact of the new CBA — particularly the second apron — on team building. He wants to compete for a title, so he’s willing to take a little less to give New York future flexibility.
Whatever the amount, Brunson is worth it. He is coming off a season in which he was fifth in MVP voting, averaging 28.7 points and 6.7 assists a game, shooting 40.1% from 3, and leading the Knicks to the No. 2 seed in the East. With Brunson and the just-added Mikal Bridges, the Knicks enter next season as a genuine threat to Boston in the East.
Brunson’s decision is incredibly generous, but don’t expect other stars to make the same choices when it’s time for them to get paid.
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