In a lengthy, insightful and revealing interview on Fanatics Sportsbook’s Roommates Show , New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and former Dallas Mavericks controlling owner Mark Cuban discussed the ins and outs of the infamous 2022 offseason. That year, Brunson left the Mavs after four seasons in Dallas. However, since he decided to sign with the Knicks, there have been many theories as to why this happened.
As a businessman, many believe Cuban made Brunson a low offer in an effort to cut costs. Brunson, who wanted to make a name for himself, was rumored to want more scoring opportunities. These two theories are not in conflict; they could both be true. However, until Brunson and Cuban spoke, there was little clarity on the situation.
“From my perspective,” Brunson says, “after we played and lost Game 5 in the (2022) Western Conference finals, I remember seeing on Twitter that Mark had done a postgame interview. He was with our team or something, and Mark was like, ‘Hey, we can pay him more money.’ ”
“That was the main thing I took away from the interview: ‘We can pay him more,’ ” he repeats. “…You get into free agency and you start seeing all these moves that the Knicks are making… Then, obviously, my dad goes to the Knicks as an assistant coach, so I’m like, ‘OK, that’s interesting.’ ”
“It’s something that’s really unique,” Brunson, a New Jersey native, admits. “…I don’t know how I could live with myself if I didn’t at least explore that option.”
“Once I got the number from the Knicks and everything… I never heard anything from the Mavericks…” Brunson says. “And it wasn’t the Mavericks,” he clarifies. “It was my agent telling me, ‘Oh, they’re not giving us a number.’”
Telling his side of the story, Cuban tells Brunson, “We were like, ‘Give us a range; what’s the number?’ We put a number… Hoping to have home-field advantage,” he admits. “He’d been here for four years…”
“Then when it came down to it and it looked like you were going to the Knicks, I was like, ‘Well, really, the only amount that would work is a max contract,’” Cuban recalls.
The 66-year-old also noted that Brunson’s rep wanted the Mavs brass to come to New York. He and his colleagues were trying to figure out the purpose of the meeting, hoping they wouldn’t end up on a wasted trip. Apparently, though, Brunson or his team had already made up their minds long before Cuban got there. If nothing else, they may have simply given Dallas one last chance to make their case.