The New York Knicks may soon learn if Jalen Brunson has set a new precedent on the team.
Brunson did the Knicks a huge favor this offseason by signing a four-year, $156 million extension. Had Brunson waited one year to become a free agent, he would have been eligible for a five-year, $269 million contract. He essentially left $113 million on the table.
While Brunson said long-term security was important to him, the decision also gives the Knicks financial wiggle room to avoid the dreaded second apron, which would severely limit how they build their team.
Now Mikal Bridges is in position to do something similar.
Bridges becomes extension-eligible on October 1. He has two years, $48 million remaining on his contract. Bridges and the Knicks cannot negotiate an extension once the regular season begins.
Veteran NBA insider Marc Stein previously reported that people around the league believe Bridges will follow in Brunson’s footsteps and take a team-friendly extension.
The question is how much and when.
According to CBS’s Sam Quinn, Bridges is currently limited to a two-year extension at a 120% raise. That comes to about a two-year, $61 million extension.
While Bridges might be willing to a sign a team-friendly deal, as Quinn notes, that might be too team-friendly.
Bridges could look to his new teammate OG Anunoby as an example. Anunoby is also a versatile 3-and-D wing whose value to teams is greater than his individual stats. Anunoby hit free agency this summer and got a five-year, $212 million contract from the Knicks. He likely would have gotten a max contract offer from another team.
Bridges could likely fetch a similar price on the open market.
That means Bridges could forgo an extension this October and instead sign an extension next offseason. According to Quinn, the max he could get on that extension is about four years, $156 million โ the same deal Brunson just signed.
And while Bridges is worth that number, it’s worth wondering if the Knicks would view it as team-friendly. After all, it would be the same amount as their All-NBA captain. It would be the max that Bridges could get at that moment, just as it was for Brunson.
If Bridges signed that extension, by 2026-27, the Knicks would have over $148 million tied up in just Anunoby, Brunson, Bridges, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo. That is a considerably better position than many other teams would be in for five rock-solid rotation players, but it doesn’t include Miles McBride’s deal or any of their players on rookie deals. The Knicks would not have much room to fill out their roster.
But would Bridges really consider taking less than that? As mentioned, Bridges could probably fetch close to a max contract on the open market. This next contract will be his last in-his-prime deal. A four-year extension would take him to 34 years old. This next contract will likely be the biggest of his career, and it would be understandable if he wants to maximize his earnings as best as he can.
Of course, Bridges is now where he wants to be. He was reportedly planning to ask for a trade to the Knicks. He is set to play a big role on a winning team, surrounded by three of his college friends. All three of those friends are on team-friendly deals, and in the cases of Brunson and Hart, left some money on the table in different ways.
If the Knicks secure another team-friendly deal from a key rotation player, it will only enhance their standing as one of the best-run teams in the league.
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