The King of New York Takes Pay Cut to Preside Over His Kingdom

It's been suggested that the opportunity to hoop with your boys at the world's most famous arena while living in the greatest city on earth was "priceless" ... as it turns out, it's worth about $113M

As if Jalen Brunson, a player who has carried a woebegone franchise to a level of competitiveness and respectability not experienced in decades, wasn't already beloved beyond compare… he unselfishly sacrifices yet again for the betterment of the team and city. 

For decades, we've seen star after stat dodge the pressure of playing for the Knicks. Time after time, great players shied away from attempting the Herculean task of uplifting the sunken Knicks from the bottom of the Atlantic. 

Then Jalen Brunson stepped on the scene. And everything changed. 

New York isn't for everybody. We've watched supremely talented athletes in all sports flame out under the bright lights of Broadway. 

Even when All-NBA players such as Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden teamed up together in Brooklyn, the experiment ended in abject failure. Harden bailed after Kyrie went AWOL. And Kyrie demanded to be traded after the Nets refused to sign him to a max extension. Then Durant skipped town when he realized he'd have to carry the load alone.

Each time a LeBron or a KD left the Knicks at the altar, New Yorkers would try to explain that any superstar brave enough to embrace the burden of reviving MSG would be worshiped inside the world's most famous arena if they experienced even a modicum of success.

Those fans weren't lying. As proof, look at the love Brunson receives inside Madison Square Garden and on the streets of Manhattan.

This past season, not only did Brunson establish himself as the franchise's best player since prime Patrick Ewing, but he did so by playing the right way (just like Ewing). Brunson has been the consummate professional and a quintessential leader since Day One. He always faces the music with the media but is never boastful or temperamental when speaking with ornery reporters. He puts up monster numbers but never chases stats. 

Brunson's skill level is incredible, but his effort and intensity are also invaluable. When a team's best player is its hard worker, that team is bound for success. 

Plenty of players talk about being unselfish. Few actually walk the walk and put their money where their mouth is. 

Yesterday, we were reminded that Brunson is far from typical. 

Late Friday afternoon, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news that Brunson agreed to a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension, effectively leaving $113 million in guaranteed money on the table. 

As we discussed last month, Brunson could have decided to wait until next summer, when he would have been eligible to sign a $269.1 million contract. 

Per Wojnarowski, "Brunson's study of championship organizations and franchise stars -- Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs, the Tom Brady New England Patriots and the Derek Jeter New York Yankees -- gave him a blueprint for MVP-level players who structured contracts to give their teams the best chances at sustainable title runs."

The Knicks are a long, long way from the dynastic runs the Yanks and Pats enjoyed, but this is an important first step toward sustained success.

Stars taking less has obviously always provided a huge benefit to NBA teams. However, the value/savings/benefits increase exponentially in this "second apron" era. It's difficult to overstate just how advantageous this Brunson extension will be for the Knicks over the next three seasons.

Incredibly, Brunson will account for roughly 22% of the Knicks' total cap space each year through 2027. Having a top-10 player agree to a deal that takes up less than a quarter of a team's cap space is an immense roster-building advantage for New York.