Jalen Brunson contract, explained: Why Knicks star took less money on team-friendly extension

When you look up the definition of “team player” in the dictionary, there may just be a picture of Jalen Brunson.

The Knicks guard agreed to a four-year extension with New York on Friday afternoon, keeping the All-Star in the Big Apple for the foreseeable future. Brunson is entering the third year of a four-year contract he signed with the Knicks in 2022, but is foregoing his player option for 2025-26 to lock in a new deal.

The major catch that comes with the new agreement is an unprecedented one in the NBA. During a time where players sacrifice winning to get as much money as possible, the guard is doing the exact opposite. Brunson is leaving over $ 100 million on the table with this new deal, giving more cap flexibility for the Knicks in order to build a contending team in the Eastern Conference.

Brunson is coming off his best season to date in his NBA career. In his second year with the Knicks, the Villanova alum averaged a career-high 28.7 points, leading New York to the second seed in the East. He added 6.7 assists per game and 3.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 47.9% from the field and 40.1% from beyond the arc.

Here is more to know about Brunson’s contract and how he broke the mold of player contracts in the NBA.

MORE: How Mikal Bridges trade impacts Knicks’ depth chart for 2024

Jalen Brunson contract details

Brunson is signing a four-year, $ 156.5 million contract extension with the Knicks, his agent Sam Rose told ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

In a largely unprecedented financial concession to give roster flexibility to a contender, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson has agreed on a four-year, $ 156.5 million extension, his agent Sam Rose of CAA tells ESPN — $ 113M less guaranteed than he’s eligible to receive in one… pic.twitter.com/DDJvz7TUlr

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2024

Here is a look at his estimated cap hits, per Spotrac.

Season	Age	Salary
2024-25	28	$ 24,960,001
2025-26	29	$ 34,933,036
2026-27	30	$ 37,727,679
2027-28	31	$ 40,522,321
2028-29	32	$ 43,316,964

Had the guard waited one more year, he would have been eligible to receive an extension of five years at $ 269 million in 2025. Instead, he signed a new agreement a year earlier, leaving $ 113 million in guaranteed money on the table.

Here’s how it looks pic.twitter.com/AKsU33fmby

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2024

The new four-year extension comes with three years at $ 37.1 million a season for Brunson, and carries a player option for the fourth year. It sets up the New York star to potentially ink another deal in either 2028 or 2029, where he has a chance to bank more money.

MORE: Grading the Mikal Bridges trade for Knicks-Nets

The deal, which does not kick in until 2025-26, gives the Knicks more flexibility to spend elsewhere for its roster. O.G. Anunoby just signed a massive five-year, $ 212.5 million contract to remain in the Big Apple. Julius Randle still has at least one more year left making just south of $ 30 million before he is eligible for an extension, and recently acquired Mikal Bridges will be extension eligible the year after.

The Brunson news comes on the heels of New York’s recent trade to bring in Bridges from the Nets, reuniting the Brooklyn sensation with three of his college teammates — Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVencenzo. The four won an NCAA Championship in 2016 together with Villanova.