Fourth-year guard Jalen Brunson has parlayed a breakout regular season (career-high 16.3 points per game) into an even better postseason, averaging 23.5 points throughout the Mavs’ playoff run. The Mavericks declined to offer Brunson a long-term deal last offseason (he was eligible for a four-year, $55.5-million extension), which was a costly misjudgment in retrospect. Fortunately for Dallas, the 25-year-old is unlikely to leave the nest, with a source telling Marc Berman of the New York Post he’d be “shocked” if Brunson departed in free agency.
Brunson took his game to new heights against Utah in the opening round, pouring in a career-best 41 points in a Game 2 victory. Luka Doncic missed the first three games with an injured hamstring, but returned to a 2-1 series lead, thanks in large part to Brunson’s heroics.
Undersized at 6’1”/190, Brunson didn’t hear his name called until the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, falling to the 33rd pick despite leading Villanova to a pair of national championships. A backup early in his career, the former Naismith Player of the Year finally emerged as a starter in 2021-22, a role he should hold for the foreseeable future.
Though Mark Cuban’s deep pockets make Dallas the favorite to retain his services, Brunson’s market is already beginning to take shape with reported interest from the Knicks (who his father Rick played for from 1999-2000 and again from 2000-01 with a Celtics stint in between), Pacers and Pistons, among other suitors. Clearly, Brunson is viewed as a top priority within the organization, but right now, all the Mavs should be concerned about is Game 5 of their Western Conference series with top-seeded Phoenix Tuesday night at 10 PM ET.
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