Mark Cuban has admitted why the Mavericks completely whiffed on letting Jalen Brunson walk to the Knicks.
“It was really, really simple. We didn’t see JB, as what he would become,” Cuban, the owner of the Mavericks from 2000 to 2023, said in a recent appearance on “House of Haymaker.”
Brunson spent four years with the Mavericks, averaging more than 15 points per game only in his final year, the 2021-22 season.
Dallas had an option to extend the guard for $55 million prior to his breakout season, but opted to wait to see if his value would change after the year.
Cuban said he thought he would have a chance to match other teams’ offers, but Brunson accepted the Knicks‘ four-year, $104 million deal before talking to the Mavericks.
“He showed that star potential when Luka [Doncic] got hurt, and he won those games against Utah for us, but we were trying to get a star to put next to Luka, and JB’s star had not risen yet,” Cuban said.
It’s safe to say Brunson’s star has risen now after he just won the NBA Finals MVP in the Knicks’ first NBA championship in 53 years.
The former Villanova Wildcat averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in the Finals, including a 45-point night to seal the series in Game 5.
That mirrors the success Brunson had during his entire stint with the Knicks, as he has averaged 26.3 points, 6.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 284 games with New York.
The guard was a part of the championship run in more ways than one; the court, though, he turned down approximately $113 million in guaranteed money when he signed a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension in 2024.
This allowed the Knicks to afford guys like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns.
