Jalen Brunson #13 of the Dallas Mavericks. Ron Jenkins/Getty Images/AFP
The Knicks lured free agent Jalen Brunson to New York without the fourth-year point guard giving the Dallas Mavericks the chance to retain him.
Brunson signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks.
Earlier Thursday, multiple reports indicated Brunson would allow Dallas a word in negotiations and also meet with the Miami Heat in New York before making a call on his future.
Brunson, a second-round pick out of Villanova in 2018, averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game for Dallas in 2021-22. He had a breakout postseason with averages of 21.6 points and 4.6 rebounds, emerging as a go-to scorer in the first-round series against the Utah Jazz while star Luka Doncic was sidelined.
The Knicks reportedly cleared ample space to offer a $110 million contract to Brunson, who can still receive a larger five-year offer from the Mavericks, for whom he has played all 277 games in his career.
New York traded away Kemba Walker, Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel to free the cap space to add Brunson. ESPN reported Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon is also a target of the Knicks if Brunson signs elsewhere.
Three picks after the Mavericks selected Brunson, the Knicks drafted high school center Mitchell Robinson in 2018.