Matt Spendley

Seeing misinformed Jalen Brunson/Knicks talk in aftermath of Kawhi/LAC penalties talk. As a reminder: Jalen Brunson signed a max extension in 2024. If you compare it to max deal he could’ve signed as a free agent, Brunson left $37M on the table (details below). Leonard, per NBA report, received money outside of traditional salary cap payments as part of his first deal with LAC. Brunson was already in NY when he signed extension. (He came to NY after signing a much-maligned 4-year, $104M deal). At the risk of @PabloTorre calling me a team-friendly beat reporter, I’ll say confidently that Brunson signed his max extension with the intent to give Knicks more financial flexibility and he will be paid handsomely when he signs his next max extension with NY. So it’s silly/misguided to make any comparison to Kawhi/LAC. If I end up being wrong, feel free to come after me over this. (@OldTakesExposed). But I don’t think Brunson has a side deal with the Las Vegas Sphere. There’s no smoking gun here. sny.tv/articles/knicks-jalen…