Jalen Brunson says winning a championship hasn’t changed the way he sees the work ahead.
The Knicks guard, who helped deliver New York a long-awaited title, told Jared Schwartz of the New York Post that his mindset stays the same even after reaching the top.
“My approach and everything has to be the same,” Brunson said. “Just because I’ve reached the mountaintop of winning an NBA championship doesn’t mean that it’s over with.
I feel like there’s still a lot more to do and a lot more that I can prove. It’s 100 percent always going to be in the mind, I’m just not going to let it define me.”
Brunson is also still working his way back after wrist surgery in early July. The projected recovery window is 6-to-8 weeks, and the expectation is that he’ll be cleared by training camp.
“It’s reminded me a lot about patience, for sure,” Brunson told Schwartz. “But it’s a steady process and it’s something that, honestly, it is what it is.
It’s something I attack every day. Just find a way to continue to improve.”
On the roster side, the Knicks have three players with fewer than three years of NBA experience: Tyler Kolek, Pacôme Dadiet and Mohamed Diawara. James Edwards III of The Athletic считает Diawara the most likely to help next season, pointing to the former second-round pick’s stretch as a rotation player for nearly two months last season.
Dadiet, Edwards writes, looks like the least likely of the three to carve out a rotation spot. The issue is straightforward: he hasn’t shown a consistent 3-point shot, and he also isn’t yet a player who creates much with the ball in his hands.
The Knicks also lost a notable figure over the weekend with the death of Don Nelson. Nelson coached New York for most of the 1995/96 season before being fired in March after the team went 34-25 under him. In a conversation with the New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro a few years ago, Nelson said the job remained one of the biggest disappointments of his career.
“It does bother me that it didn’t work out when I coached the Knicks,” Nelson said. “Coaching that team is one of the platinum jobs in sports, and they entrusted me with a team that had come so close.
I had ideas on how to get them closer. The players had other ideas.”
As for the Nets, Brian Lewis of the New York Post looked at when the franchise might be ready to swing for a superstar trade. His take: internal development has to come first before Brooklyn goes that direction.
Lewis also reported that the Nets never seriously engaged the Celtics in talks about Jaylen Brown, despite some outside reports, before the All-Star forward was dealt to Philadelphia. And once Brooklyn fully committed to its rebuild, Giannis Antetokounmpo no longer fit the timeline, pushing the former MVP off the Nets’ radar.
In Other News...
Knicks May Be Misreading Deuce McBrides Real Roster Value
The conversation around Deuce McBride has taken on a familiar Knicks wrinkle: a useful young guard who gets talked about like a potential trade chip before anyone really settles his actual price. McBrides role and usage have made him easy to project into bigger talks, but the latest read on his value suggests New York may be looking at a player whose re-signing number is not as daunting as some around the league have assumed.
Jordan Goodwins three-year, $19 million deal is one of the cleaner reference points for where McBride could fit in the market, and that comparison matters for a Knicks team trying to balance flexibility with keeping workable backcourt depth. Unless a genuinely strong trade offer emerges, the safer play may be to hold onto McBride through next season and let the market sort itself out rather than treat him like a piece that has to be moved before free agency. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Gave Fans A Real Reason To Dream Bigger
The Knicks are heading into the 2026-27 season with something they have not had in more than half a century: the weight and confidence of being champions. After ending a 53-year title drought by winning the 2026 NBA Finals, the franchise now finds itself in the unfamiliar position of being talked about as a possible repeat contender, not just a feel-good champion. That change did not happen by accident. A better net rating, a different approach on the bench after Tom Thibodeau gave way to Mike Brown, and fewer minutes for key players all helped drive a more efficient title run.
Mike Browns arrival gave the group a different rhythm, and the Knicks benefited from a cleaner, more sustainable style over the course of the season. Repeating in the NBA is notoriously hard, especially compared with other major North American sports, which is why the conversation around New York is already shifting from celebration to survival. The challenge now is not proving the title was real. It is handling the expectations that come with it, and keeping enough in reserve to make another long run possible. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Could Soon Face A Costly Josh Hart Decision
Josh Harts next contract is already shaping up to be one of the Knicks more delicate financial conversations. He is eligible for an extension that could run as long as four years and $131.2 million, and even if that number is more ceiling than expectation, it puts New York in a familiar spot: trying to reward a valuable rotation piece without boxing itself into a corner. The team also holds a $22.4 million option on Hart for the 2027-28 season, which only adds another layer to the timing and leverage involved.
The backdrop here is the same one that shadows every contender with a rising payroll, especially in a market like New York where every future dollar matters. Recent deals for players such as Dillon Brooks and Naji Marshall offer a sense of how quickly the price for dependable wing help can climb, and the Knicks are hoping their broader success can help keep Harts next contract from becoming even more expensive. For now, the challenge is less about whether Hart fits than how much that fit will cost. [Read more 🡒]