Mavs 'Didn't Think' Jalen Brunson 'Was Worth It,' Insider Reveals After Knicks Win NBA Title

New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson silenced his doubters forever after leading his team to an NBA championship, and his old team is left to wonder about what could've been.

After Brunson led the Knicks past the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday night for a 4-1 series win, ESPN's Tim MacMahon discussed the Dallas Mavericks losing him in free agency in 2022 during a special episode of The Hoop Collective. MacMahon explained that the Mavs didn't consider making a maximum contract offer to try to retain Brunson before the Knicks signed him to a four-year, $104 million deal.

"It would've taken a max offer to make Brunson think twice about it, but they didn't try because they didn't think he was worth it," MacMahon said around the 6:30 mark. "The Mavericks thought this was a massive overpay. All Jalen Brunson has done his whole career is prove people wrong."

Brunson was named NBA Finals MVP after he dropped 45 points to lead the Knicks to a comeback victory on the Spurs' home floor at the Frost Bank Center. It's New York's first NBA title since 1973.

Knicks-Spurs Highlights

01:31

Signing Brunson proved to be a turning point for the Knicks, and the 29-year-old showed his loyalty to the franchise when he signed a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension in 2024, $113 million less than the five-year, $269.1 million deal he would've been eligible for the following year. The bargain deal allowed New York to add more talent around him as it pursued an NBA championship.

Brunson and the Knicks accomplished their mission this season, and the Mavs' decision to let him walk in free agency four years ago will be another thing that haunts them until they return to the mountaintop.