The New York Knicks on Wednesday were punished by the NBA for tampering with Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks signed Brunson to a 4-year, $110 million contract at the start of free agency. The Dallas Mavericks suspected something was amiss when they were never given the chance to make a counteroffer. The Knicks also worked to clear salary in order to seemingly make room for Brunson, which some saw as red flags.
The league announced that they found the Knicks talked with Brunson at times when they were not permitted to do so. They were stripped of a 2025 second-round pick as a penalty.
The NBA says New York been docked a 2025 second-round pick after an investigation found “that the Knicks engaged in free agency discussions involving Jalen Brunson prior to the date when such discussions were permitted.”
More NBA from me: https://t.co/LGN9cV7Dif pic.twitter.com/nDEirYrxXv
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 21, 2022
The 26-year-old guard is averaging 20.8 points, 6.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game this season, all of which are career-high marks.
What’s the end lesson for the Knicks? Tampering with Brunson was well worth the second-round pick.
