Knicks Winners and Losers from 2024 NBA Free Agency

How many people—let alone NBA players—had a better summer than Jalen Brunson? The list can’t be long.

First, he saw the Knicks trade for his college teammate, Mikal Bridges, giving this group four different members of Villanova’s national championship team. Then, Brunson inked a four-year, $156.5 million extension that saw him universally praised for the money he left on the table ($113 million less than he would’ve been eligible to get a year from now).

Here’s the sweetest part of that pact, though. The sacrifice might not be what it seems. It’s real money, to be clear, and it gives New York flexibility going forward, but Brunson has a chance to recoup a lot of that cash in the future. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski relayed, Brunson’s contract includes a fourth-year player option, which could set him up to sign a four-year, $323 million extension in 2028 or a five-year, $418 million deal in 2029.

Maybe Brunson winds up collecting all of that cake. Maybe he doesn’t. Either way, he secured a set-for-life pay raise for the chance to chase championships with his college buddies, and he could still get that pay bump down the line. Have a summer, Mr. Brunson.