Donovan Mitchell’s new four-year, $273 million extension in Cleveland is more than just a headline for the Cavaliers. For the Knicks, it’s a flashing reminder of two things at once: how much Jalen Brunson already saved them, and how much bigger the next check is likely to be.
Brunson’s current four-year, $156.5 million deal has been a gift to New York’s cap sheet. At minimum, it has saved the Knicks $37 million over three seasons.
That kind of discount doesn’t just look good in a vacuum; it has helped soften the damage elsewhere, even with Mitchell Robinson now gone to the rival Boston Celtics. Without Brunson taking home less than a top-50 salary, the fallout would have been even harsher.
But Mitchell’s extension also underlines the bigger truth: Brunson’s decision was the exception, not the rule. That kind of money left on the table doesn’t come around often, and the Knicks shouldn’t expect a repeat.
The real bill is still coming, and it could be massive. Brunson’s next contract could top $400 million, depending on when he signs.
There are three paths in front of him. If he extends next summer, he could decline his 2028-29 player option, worth $43.3 million, and land a four-year max deal projected at $286.5 million.
If he waits until the summer of 2028, declines that option, and signs a five-year extension before free agency, the number jumps to an estimated $370.9 million. And if he opts into that 2028-29 player option to give the Knicks more room that season, he could reach free agency in 2029 and become eligible for a five-year contract projected at $412.8 million.
No matter which route he takes, the Knicks are going with him.
That’s the reality here. Whether Brunson is worth 35 percent or more of the salary cap into his mid-30s and late-30s is beside the point. He already helped create New York’s championship window by taking less on this deal, and the expectation was always that he’d be paid properly later.
Maybe Brunson is built differently and takes another discount. Maybe not. But the era of the below-market bargain is almost certainly ending, and Mitchell’s max extension is the latest reminder that what Brunson did in 2024 was rare, surprising, and probably not something the Knicks should count on seeing again.
In Other News...
Knicks May Already Regret This Cost Cutting Draft Decision
The Knicks went into draft night looking to trim rookie costs, trading back in the 2026 NBA draft and using the savings to help re-sign Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet. On paper, it was a tidy bit of roster management for a team trying to balance immediate depth with future flexibility, especially after passing on Baylors Cameron Carr and St. Johns Zuby Ejiofor.
Summer League has made that decision look a little more complicated. Carr has flashed real scoring pop, while Ejiofor has already shown he can fill up the box score for Atlanta, and both performances have only sharpened the sense that New York may have let useful young talent slip away. With the Knicks still juggling veteran additions and the long-term picture around the roster, the question now is whether the cost-cutting move left them thinner in the one area contenders can least afford to be: development. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Think Karl-Anthony Towns Is Just Scratching The Surface
Karl-Anthony Towns already showed how dangerous he can be when the Knicks put the ball in his hands, using him as a playmaker during their championship run and leaning on that versatility to help erase a series deficit against the Hawks. It was a reminder that his value in New York goes beyond the usual scoring and rebounding expectations, especially when the offense is built to let him read the floor and make decisions.
An assistant coach believes there is still plenty more to mine from that approach, with the Knicks planning to expand the Towns-centered packages once they get a full training camp to work with. Roster changes and the possibility of young players taking a step forward could open even more lanes for the offense next season, but the biggest question is how much of the attack can be built around Towns when the supporting cast around him looks a little different. [Read more 🡒]