Recently, two New York reporters, Steve Popper, joined Ian Begley on a show where they talked about the contract extension of Knicks star Brunson.
Steve Popper revealed that the Knicks are expected to complete an early contract extension with Brunson this summer, and at the same time, Brunson also has a strong desire to sign an early contract extension with the Knicks.
Brunson signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks in the summer of 2022, and it should be said that when he signed this contract, many fans and media were bearish.
There are also some things to be seen in the contract - although the final year of this contract (that is, the 2025-26 season) is a player option, the contract size is decreasing, with an annual salary of 26.35 million this season and only 24.96 million next season.
Of course, we also know that Brunson played at an All-Star level last season, and this season has gone to the next level, and it is no exaggeration to say that he may now be in the top 10 of the league.
In terms of data, so far, Brunson has played a total of 72 games, averaging 28.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, with a three-point shooting rate of 47.7%/39.5%/84.2%, a ball use rate of 30.7%, and a true shooting rate of 58.8%.
Brunson's scoring ranks fourth in the league, behind Doncic, Antetokounmpo, and Alexander, and he also scored 8 40+ points, including 61 points in a single game and 50+6+9+5 in a single game.
It is worth mentioning that Brunson's performance has continued to improve with the deepening of the season, and after entering 2024, he has played 39 games, and his average data has continued to improve to 30.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, with a true shooting rate of 59.4%.
Looking at the record again, the Knicks currently have a 45-32 record, ranking fifth in the East, but only 2 wins away from the Bucks, who are second in the East.
Brunson's role for the Knicks can also be seen in the stats, so far this season:
- When Brunson is on the floor, the Knicks have an offensive efficiency of 120.8 and a net efficiency of +8.2
- With Brunson not on the floor, the Knicks have an offensive efficiency of 103.6 and a net efficiency of -4.1
Brunson's efficiency difference is +12.3, what is the concept?
Doncic is good enough, Brunson's former big brother and second MVP this season, his efficiency difference is +7.6;
Alexander and Brother Alphabet are good enough, the two are second and third in the scoring list, third and fourth in the MVP list respectively, Alexander's efficiency difference is +12.0, and Brother Alphabet is +10.3.
Of course, it's not that Brunson is better than these guys, but this statistic at least proves that Brunson is definitely a reliable big man, and his improvement to the Knicks is phenomenal.
It is also interesting to say, two years ago, when Brunson got 40+ in the playoffs, many people should have felt that he was "not bad to be a second leader", and then signed a four-year contract of 100 million, and the idea may become "Brunson can be a weak team in the future to be an All-Star";
Last season, Brunson averaged 24+3+6 per game and led the Knicks to the second round, I believe many fans think that this may be his ceiling, after all, there are too few examples of small guards succeeding;
Unexpectedly, Brunson is still improving this season, averaging 28+4+7 per game, and 30+ per game in the second half, if narrowed down to the past five games, Brunson's average points per game is 36.2 points.
This is a player who will constantly refresh your cognition, don't look at his height, his scoring ability is really strong, and he is not inefficient, and he can also lead the team to win - if Brunson averages 30+ per game next season, we will definitely not be surprised.
It's a bit of a shame that Randle's season is out this season, Anunoby and Mitchell have just returned, and the Knicks can't play at their healthiest and best, otherwise they really have a chance to make it to the Eastern Conference finals.
Back to Brunson's contract extension, under normal circumstances, if the team provides an early contract extension for the star of the house, it is right to think that the star of the house should be signed, but when it comes to Brunson, it is really hard to say.
The main reason is that Brunson's last contract is too low, according to the new regulations, the starting salary of the early renewal contract can only be 140% of the last year of the previous contract, with an increase of 8%, the maximum early renewal that Brunson can sign this offseason this season will be 157 million for 4 years, and the four-year salary is 34.94 million, 37.74 million, 40.76 million, and 44.02 million respectively, with an average of less than 40 million, at Brunson's current level, it can be said that the price of cabbage.
And if Brunson renews his contract as a free agent in the summer of 2025, he can sign a contract of up to 5 years and 250 million, which is obviously what Brunson should be worth.
However, this also requires Brunson to play another superstar season at a very high level, I personally think that it is not a big problem, after all, the Knicks system will not be easily changed, I hope Brunson can maintain his current state, in the past two years, he has really slapped many people in the face.