"Maybe they're giving him something under the table" - Paul Pierce is shocked by Jalen Brunson's contract

Jalen Brunson has become the talk of the hoops town recently after he inked a remarkable deal with the New York Knicks, giving up as much as $113 million to stay with the franchise for several more years. The All-Star's decision has given the Knicks financial flexibility to build a championship contender.

However, Brunson's willingness to surrender that amount of money has drawn surprising reactions. Paul Pierce couldn't help but laugh at his choice while discussing it on "Undisputed."

"You left $113 million on the table?" said Pierce. "That don't even sound right. Does that say $113 million? What? I get it. You want to win a championship, but that don't carry you to a championship. ... He should've just did what LeBron [James] did. You know LeBron took a pay cut, right? You know how much his pay cut was? Two, three million?"

https://x.com/undisputed/status/1812876150324023746

A shady deal with Jalen?

The Hall of Famer continued to be astonished while talking about the matter with cohosts Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Johnson, noting that he had never seen a star take such a huge discount in his many years playing in and covering the league.

Pierce even insinuated that something shady might be going on in New York .

"Maybe they're giving him something under the table," he mused. "Maybe he got free rent. He must get free rent. He get free food wherever he go in New York. It's gotta be something."

The Knicks struck gold with Brunson's selfless decision, as they will have more money to possibly throw at free agents in the following years. Even their latest acquisition and Jalen's former Villanova University teammate, Mikal Bridges, could follow suit and sign a team-friendly extension with the organization soon.

Such an occurrence would definitely be unprecedented. All the parties involved should know better than to agree on under-the-table concessions because the last time that happened with Joe Smith and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the league cracked down hard on the transgressors.

Related: "I just don't see how you would get equal value" - Michael Jordan believed the Bulls could never get anybody as valuable as Scottie Pippen

Not a sure path to the championship

As the Boston Celtics legend alluded to, Brunson is taking a massive risk, as it does not assure New York of a title. What if the star point guard sustains a serious injury? Not only would the Knicks be in danger of falling from contention to mediocrity, but it would also ruin his chances of securing what could be his last big payday several years from now.

The Knickerbockers will also have to go through other strong competitors for the Larry O'Brien Trophy, including the defending champions. Interestingly, the Celtics actually went the opposite route as New York did because they offered maximum contracts to their stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and have given their other players lucrative deals. And we all know how that turned out for the organization.

It remains to be seen if Brunson will regret his decision years from now, although he probably doesn't care much about it since he is still set to be $156.5 million richer than he previously was.

Related: Colin Cowherd says Jaylen Brunson leaving $113 million on the table shows he is a true leader: "This is what Bosh, Wade, and LeBron did"