'Strong Expectation' That Jalen Brunson's $113M Sacrifice Could Lead To Huge Side Effect

Jalen Brunson on Thursday made the ultimate sacrifice for the New York Knicks. Could his newest teammate follow suit?

Brunson agreed to sign a four-year, $156.5 million extension that essentially left $113 million on the negotiating table. The All-Star guard opted not to wait until the 2025 offseason, when the Knicks star could have signed a $269 million deal over five years instead.

The move by itself is already a massive victory for the Knicks and the team's financial flexibility. But it could reportedly come with a secondary win in the form of another Knicks player taking a discount.

There is a "strong expectation" that Brunson's teammate Mikal Bridges will also take a discount on his next contract with the Knicks, according to Forbes Sports' Evan Sidery.

Bridges is in Year 3 of the four-year, $90 million extension he signed in 2021 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. He will make $23.3 million this coming season and $24.9 million during the 2025-26 campaign.

Bridges has elevated himself as a player since leaving the Suns in 2023 as part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix. In his one-and-a-half seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, Bridges averaged 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game on 44.7% shooting from the floor.

There's no doubt that Bridges would be worth a pretty penny on the open market. But with Brunson making his selfless move for the good of the team, getting Bridges to do the same would be an absolute coup for the Knicks.

The Knicks' two biggest stars taking less money would be a huge step toward keeping the team in contention for the rest of the decade.

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