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...
LeBrons Next Move Suddenly Has Knicks Fans Watching Closely
LeBron James is scheduled to appear at the 2026 Fanatics Fest in New York City, a high-profile gathering that will bring a long list of celebrity names to the Javits Center in Manhattan. For Knicks fans, the timing alone is enough to stir interest, since any major basketball event in New York tends to invite a little extra attention from a crowd that is always tuned into the leagues biggest what-ifs.
The speculation has only grown louder because some around the sport are wondering whether the event could become the stage for James to make a future decision public, even though nothing has been announced. The chatter has already spilled onto X, where fans and Knicks watchers are treating the appearance as something worth monitoring closely, especially with several possible destinations still being discussed and no clear answer yet. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks May Have Pulled Off A Quiet Free Agency Steal With Shamet
The Knicks brought Landry Shamet back with a very specific kind of value in mind: a dependable shooter who can fit into a playoff rotation without demanding a major financial commitment. For a team built around established core pieces, that matters. Shamet has long been the sort of wing who can slide in, space the floor and survive the pressure of meaningful games, and New York clearly believes his role is worth keeping intact.
What makes the move stand out is how little the Knicks had to pay to preserve that option. Shamets four-year deal comes in at $14.3 million fully guaranteed, a price that makes him look like a tidy roster bet rather than a luxury. With his shooting profile and positive impact numbers, the front office sees a player who can help in the margins, and those margins often decide how deep a team can go in the spring. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Fans Just Got Pulled Back Into The Jayson Tatum Dream
Jayson Tatums name has a way of drifting back into Knicks conversations no matter how far-fetched the path gets, and this time it happened in the most New York setting possible. Tatum was at the final night of Jay Zs Yankee Stadium concert, where a Knicks fan took the opportunity to try to lure him away from Boston, a reminder of how badly this market would love to imagine him in orange and blue.
The reality, of course, is much less romantic for Knicks fans. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Boston has made its stance on Tatum clear, even as Jaylen Brown has been the more movable piece in trade talks, and Tatums recent Achilles injury has not stopped him from remaining a central part of the Celtics plans. He still looked like a high-level player in the 2025-26 season, which is exactly why the dream keeps getting revived even when the odds of it happening stay remote. [Read more 🡒]