Jalen Brunson, Knicks Reach $157M Contract Extension; Was Eligible For $269M In 2025

New York Knicks All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson agreed to a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension — $113 million less guaranteed than he is eligible to sign for a year from now — his agent, Sam Rose of CAA, informed ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson could have signed a five-year, $269.1 million deal in 2025

Since Brunson agreed to the four-year, $156.5 million max deal over the five-year, $269.1 million deal in 2025, the Knicks will be able to keep the team together while limiting strain on the salary cap and allowing president of basketball operations Leon Rose to make roster moves to build a championship contender.

During the offseason, the Knicks acquired Brunson’s Villanova teammate, Mikal Bridges, from the Brooklyn Nets to play alongside fellow alums Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. The Knicks also re-signed forward OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million deal.

Jalen Brunson, 27, became eligible to negotiate and sign the maximum extension Friday. His new deal begins in 2025-26 and will cost Brunson $37.1 million over the next three years.

It also comes with a fourth-year player option, Rose said. This will allow Brunson to recoup the $113 million on a four-year, $323 million maximum extension in 2028 or a new five-year, $418 million deal in 2029.

Brunson signed with the New York Knicks on a four-year, $104 million free agent deal two years ago after spending his first four seasons (2018-22) with the Dallas Mavericks.

Brunson averaged career highs of 28.7 points, 6.7 assists last season while setting new scoring records

In 77 games (all starts) of the 2023-24 season, Brunson averaged career highs of 28.7 points, 6.7 assists, and 35.4 minutes per game while shooting 47.9% from the field, 40.1% from 3-point range, and a career-best 84.7% at the free throw line.

His player efficiency rating (23.4), assist percentage (33.5%), usage percentage (32.5%), and win shares (11.2) were also all career highs. He went on to earn All-NBA honors and finished top five in the MVP voting. He scored or assisted on a franchise-record 3,481 points as well.

In New York’s 139-122 victory against the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 15, the guard notched a then-career-high 50 points on 17-of-23 (73.9%) shooting from the floor and hitting all nine 3-point attempts.

Then in the Knicks’ 130-126 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs on March 29, he scored a career-high 61 points. It was one point shy of matching Carmelo Anthony’s franchise record of 62 points on Jan. 24, 2014. Bernard King dropped to third with his 60-point game in 1984.

Jalen Brunson recorded 11 40-point games in the regular season. During the 2024 NBA Playoffs, he became the first Knicks player with 40 points and five assists in four straight postseason games, per ESPN Stats & Information.

Additionally, Brunson became the first NBA player since Michael Jordan (182 points in 1993) to score at least 170 points over a four-game span in a single postseason.

Brunson scored a playoff career-high 47 points in Game 4 of the Knicks’ first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. The 2024 All-Star guard then put up 40 points in Game 5 and 41 in Game 6.