All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson agreed to a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension with the New York Knicks on Friday.
The Knicks announced the deal through a social media post, with ESPN and The Athletic reporting the contract’s value.
The extension will begin in the 2025-26 season and includes a player option for the final year.
Brunson had the option to wait another year to sign, potentially securing a maximum contract worth an estimated $269 million. However, his current decision helps the Knicks avoid exceeding the salary cap’s “second apron” in 2025-26, allowing them greater flexibility to manage their roster.
Brunson will also have the chance to sign a new max extension in 2028, his 10th year in the league, which could recover most of the $113 million he is forgoing now.
Knicks teammate Josh Hart, who also played alongside Jalen Brunson at Villanova, seemed to react to the news with a post on X that read, “Build him a statue.”
Brunson is coming off the best season of his six-year NBA career, setting personal records in scoring (28.7 points per game), assists (6.7 per game), and 3-pointers made (211). He shot 40.1% from beyond the arc. Last season, Brunson earned his first All-Star selection, made the All-NBA Second Team, and finished fifth in MVP voting.
Over his six seasons with the Dallas Mavericks (2018-2022) and New York Knicks, Brunson has averaged 16.9 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game, with a shooting percentage of 48.9% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range.
