The New York Knicks and guard Jalen Brunson have agreed to a four-year, $156.5-million extension, according to his agent, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
This extension represents a significant discount for Brunson, who had the potential to seek a five-year, $269-million contract as a free agent in 2025. The new deal provides the Knicks with additional financial flexibility to enhance their roster around the 27-year-old player.
Wojnarowski also reported that Brunson will have a player option worth $43 million for the final year of the extension in 2028-29. If Brunson had waited until free agency to sign a max deal with the Knicks, his contract would have paid him over $61 million in its final year in 2029-30.
Last season, Brunson scored a career-best 28.7 points per game in 77 starts. Since joining the Knicks as a free agent in the summer of 2022, he has emerged as a key player for the franchise. Brunson earned his first All-Star nod and had a notable performance in late March, scoring 61 points in an overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs, just one point shy of Carmelo Anthony’s franchise-record 62 points set in 2014.
Brunson’s best performance in a Knicks win came in December when he scored 50 points on 17-of-23 shooting, including a perfect 9-of-9 from three-point range, against the Phoenix Suns. He has also been instrumental in helping the Knicks reach the conference semifinals in both seasons with the club, including a recent run where New York took the Indiana Pacers to seven games despite multiple injuries.
Friday marked the earliest date Brunson could sign his new extension.
