Jalen Brunson was already the de facto leader of the Knicks
Now he’s officially the team captain.
The Knicks on Tuesday named the former Villanova guard the team’s 36th team captain.
“The New York Knicks have a deep and storied history and today we are immensely proud to add to that lineage by naming Jalen Brunson as our team captain,” team president Leon Rose said in a statement.
“Jalen is a natural team leader, and I am confident he will continue to represent our organization, fans, city and his teammates with the same heart, grit and class that he has displayed each and every day since he came to New York.”
Brunson is the 18th guard to be named team captain, and the first captain since Lance Thomas held the honor in 2018-19.
Brunson last month left $113 million on the table to give the Knicks’ cap flexibility to pursue the franchise’s first NBA championship in more than 50 years.
Brunson agreed to a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension beginning in 2025-26, leaving $113 million on the table a year from now.
The move helped the Knicks avoid the dreaded second apron and gives them flexibility in terms of trades and future deals.
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Brunson, 27, can “recoup the $113 million on a four-year, $323 million maximum extension in 2028 or a new five-year, $418 million deal in 2029,” per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Rose and the Knicks have had a masterful offseason, trading for Mikal Bridges, re-signing OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million deal, coming to terms with Brunson and re-signing Precious Achiuwa, all in an effort to challenge the NBA champion Boston Celtics and the new-look 76ers.
The team also re-signed coach Tom Thibodeau to a three-year extension.
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.
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Publish date : 2024-08-06 05:18:00
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