(06-25-2022, 12:51 PM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: So, the bad news from this clip, if true, is that Dallas treated JB like a business decision in prioritizing TDL flexibility over his desire for security. A piece of meat. Many here say things like "I'm sure Brunson will be loyal", I'm sure he likes it here" and "I'm sure he'd prefer to play with his friends". If I'm putting out an "I'm sure" statement it is that "I'm sure Brunson will treat Dallas no different than Dallas treated him". This is a business decision...the most important one of his life. I don't believe the 5th year means anything as I suspect even a four year deal will have a PO after three.
Now the good news...Again, if MacMahon's information is good, Dallas continues to seek the deal to pair a real star with Luka. There won't be a better time for a PR victory than to rebound from a PR nightmare of losing Brunson for nothing. So, something bigger than who we might get for the TP-MLE is probably coming if Brunson does indeed walk.
I viewed Brunson as a potential trade piece to get that player but the Knicks might bid up the price to the point where it wouldn't be such a great trade piece. For a team that made such strides on defense our offense was actually better the year before when THJ was frequently the second option. Brunson is expendable but I think we've missed the boat on cashing in on him in a trade. If we do lose Brunson for nothing I could definitely see us being very aggressive on the trade market though. Nico seems a lot more trigger happy than Donnie was so far. Can't really play free agency until next offseason even if we lose Brunson, and that would take some wiggling.