New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson made a big sacrifice to help the team, and he did his homework before doing it, too.
Brunson essentially gave up $113 million by signing a contract extension now rather than waiting for next summer. The move was not a coincidence, either. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Brunson undertook an extensive study of other sports dynasties of the past to see how their star players structured their contracts to give the team the best chance of sustained success. Brunson looked at Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, and Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees before negotiating the deal.
Brunson is still making plenty of money, but his move opens up about $12 million in additional cap space over each of the next three seasons. That may not seem like a lot, but it could prove to be significant.
Mahomes has very much taken the attitude that team accolades will matter much more than being the highest-paid at his position. Brunson appears to be doing the same. No wonder one of his teammates wants a statue built for him already.
