Should Knicks PG Sign Extension Now or Later?

The New York Knicks will soon have a big decision to make in regards to Jalen Brunson’s contract.

Brunson, who turns 28 in August, can sign an extension this offseason that will last four years and make him $156 million. However, he could be leaving millions on the table if he signs a deal now before he could decline his player option and become a free agent next summer.

“There should be at least a couple of teams ready to offer him a four-year max worth a projected $199.4 million. And the Knicks, for their part, should be prepared to pony up their own four-year, $207.8 million max overture, if not warm up to the idea of going out five years and, potentially, over $269 million,” Bleacher Report contributor Dan Favale writes. “Depending on who you talk to, none of this may matter. Some reporting back in May suggested Brunson would sign a four-year extension this summer that maxes out at $156.5 million. … Is that a concession he’s willing to make after New York acquired yet another one of his Villanova bros in Mikal Bridges? The rest of the league will have to wait and see.”

Don’t worry Knicks fans, Brunson isn’t going anywhere, even if he chooses to opt out and become a free agent next summer. He has been the focal point of the “Nova Knicks” and he’s seen his old college teammates walk through the door periodically since signing with New York in 2022. Now, the Knicks traded a massive package to get Mikal Bridges to Manhattan to form one of the more intriguing cores in the NBA.

But Brunson does have a big decision to make this summer. It would make sense for the Knicks to try and sign an extension with Brunson now, but would he take that offer now that OG Anunoby has a five-year, $212 million deal? Does he want to look out for himself and get that four or five-year max in what could be the biggest contract of his career? It remains to be seen.

However, if he signed that extension this summer for $156.5 million, it would confirm Brunson’s desire to win a championship in New York as he takes a massive pay cut to ensure the Knicks can spend more for the players they put around him.

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