BRUNSON BURNER: to NYK for 4yrs/$104M (no SnT) | NYK docked 2025 2nd for tampering

[Jmaciscool]

I totally agree with your conclusion… If your assumption about what he was worth at the deadline is correct. The thing is, I just can’t reconcile myself with the idea that a guy worth 26 million per year over the summer got there from scratch based on two playoff series. I think he was probably worth MORE this summer than he was at the deadline, but I don’t agree that he was worth nothing at that time to teams who would have wanted to re-sign him. As a rental, sure.

I guess without knowing what offers they actually had, we’ll never know. Either way, it’s not a rationalization I’m comfortable with in terms of letting them off the hook for this travesty. Still, to your overall point, yes, the deep playoff run was of more benefit to this team than a journeyman player and a second round pick.

I think the assumption of his value at the trade deadline is probably correct. Brunson's value didn't suddenly go from nothing to 26 million, it was that his trade value didn't come close to his actual value due to a trading team not having any extra control over whether or not he would resign (unless a team wanted to offer the max and I don't think that was a realistic possibility). Even if Team X wanted to trade for him in order to sign him long term then why trade anything of value if you could just sign him in the summer? At least that's my understanding of the situation, but I could be misreading or misunderstanding something.

And by no means am I trying to absolve the Mavs here, there were definitely mistakes made. But I can see how they weren't able to get good offers at the trade deadline despite Brunson's obvious talent at the time and his resulting large contract.