Jalen Brunson agrees to four-year, $156.5 million extension with Knicks, AP source says

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson quickly agreed to extend his stay with the New York Knicks team that has been on the rise since his arrival.

Brunson will receive a four-year contract extension worth about $156.5 million with the Knicks, a person with knowledge of the details said Friday.

Brunson could have gotten a much bigger deal by waiting a year, but he chose the extension on the first day it was available to him, in a move that provides a financial benefit to the Knicks team the point guard took to the second round of the playoffs in both seasons. seasons in New York.

The deal was confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced. It was first reported by ESPN, with Brunson’s agent telling the organization that his client chose the extension over a five-year, $269 million contract he could have received as a free agent in 2025.

Brunson is coming off one of the best seasons in franchise history, averaging 28.7 points and finishing fifth in voting for the NBA MVP award.

That was much more than expected when the former second-round pick signed with the Knicks in 2022, with critics wondering if a player who had primarily been a backup in Dallas was worth more than $100 million.

No one can question Brunson’s new deal.

The Knicks hadn’t reached the second round of the playoffs since 2013, before Brunson helped them get there in his first season in New York. They nearly went even further last season, falling to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals after Brunson broke his hand in the second half.

Before that, he was having a memorable postseason, with five 40-point games, and regularly received chants of “MVP! MVP!” during his first All-Star season.

Brunson’s extension will begin in the 2025-26 season and his decision to take less money now should help the Knicks manage their payroll after a busy off-season in which they re-signed OG Anunoby to a five-year deal worth of over $210 million and acquired Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets.

Brunson, 27, averaged 26.5 points in his two seasons with the Knicks.

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