All-Star guard Jalen Brunson has finally commented on the rumored extension discussions this summer that could lead to him giving the New York Knicks a hometown discount.
“I’m not sure what extension talks you’re referring to,” Brunson told his Knicks teammate Josh Hart during their “Roommates Show” podcast on May 31. “Honestly, I have no idea.”
Earlier, Steve Popper of Newsday reported that there is an expectation Brunson might be open to a contract extension this summer.\
“Jalen Brunson is eligible for a four-year, $156 million contract extension that sources have indicated he would accept rather than wait another year,” Popper wrote on May 20.
However, signing an extension this summer is not financially advantageous for the Knicks star.
“I just saw on Twitter that you’re eligible,” Hart responded to Brunson.
“[Do] you believe everything you see on Twitter?” Brunson snapped back.
At 27, Brunson is just entering his prime years and would be eligible for a far more lucrative five-year, $270 million contract in the 2025 offseason if he declines the player option on his current four-year, $104 million deal he signed as a free agent in 2022.
Brunson has already outperformed his current contract. He led the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs, averaging career highs of 28.7 points and 6.7 assists, despite playing without Julius Randle since January 27 and with OG Anunoby in and out of the lineup.
Brunson elevated his performance in the playoffs, averaging 32.4 points and 7.5 assists. However, he injured his hand in their Game 7 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The injury required surgery and brought an anti-climactic end to Brunson’s best NBA season, during which he earned his first All-Star selection and a spot on the All-NBA Second Team.
Other Knicks Star Wants to Stay Long-Term
The Knicks’ other star, Julius Randle, is also eligible for a contract extension. According to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks, Randle can sign a four-year, $181.5 million extension if he declines his option or a three-year, $140.3 million extension if he opts in.
Unlike Brunson, Randle doesn’t have as much leverage after undergoing major surgery that caused him to miss the second half of the season and the playoffs. Therefore, Randle is likely to sign an extension this summer if the Knicks offer it to him.
“I’ve always said from the very beginning I would love to be here in New York and I would love to continue to add on to what the guys did in the playoffs,” Randle told the New York Post on May 31. “I feel like that was my biggest personal goal, or I’d say team goal in a sense, when I got here — to be able to build and compete and to reach the point where we’re at now, where winning a championship is an actual possibility.”
“So really, that’s what my focus is—doing whatever I can to make sure I get healthy and get back. I want to be ready whenever we start playing again and contribute to winning. That’s really all my focus is, and that kind of stuff has always taken care of itself in my career.”
Josh Hart expressed a wish that he, too, could extend his contract. His four-year, $81 million extension, signed last summer, kicks in next season. However, he joked that he wished his extension talks had come a year later.
“I didn’t say you’re talking,” Hart told Brunson on their “Roommate Show” podcast, referring to what he read. “I’m just saying you’re eligible. I’m not eligible for anything. I wish I was eligible.”
Hart’s performance benefited from Randle’s injury. Since Randle went down with a dislocated right shoulder on January 27, Hart averaged 12.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in 50 games, including the playoffs.
Apart from Brunson and Randle, who are eligible for new deals, Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein are expected to land lucrative contracts as free agents.
“We have really good pieces who are on good contracts right now and can grow with,” Hart said. “But then on the friend-teammate side, you’re like, ‘Damn, I wish all of us were free agents because all of us could go get a bag except for JB (Brunson). He’s going to get his anyways.”