Knicks' Jalen Brunson downplays his return to Dallas
Jalen Brunson of the Knicks reacts in the first half against the Trail Blazers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
DALLAS — Jalen Brunson’s time in Dallas was, well, complicated. He arrived as a second-round pick, slowly proved himself to be much more than the backup point guard he was with the Mavericks, and then contract extension negotiations deteriorated in a strange parting.
Brunson was back to play at American Airlines Center for the first time Thursday night. And while he, as you might expect, downplayed the significance of his return, insisting there was no extra motivation, it’s hard to believe.
“Next game,” Brunson said Thursday morning after the team’s shootaround at Southern Methodist University. “It’s just how it’s always been. No matter where it was, no matter what the situation was, going to a different place to play, it’s always something you can use as extra juice. But it’s just the next place. I’m excited to play. A place I’ve called home for four years. It’s special to me, but it’s just another game.”
Isaiah Hartenstein, who already has moved twice in his career, laughed at the notion that it had no special meaning.
“I mean, he got a new haircut so he might be trying to look good for the people in Dallas,” Hartenstein said. “But I know it’s always something special. Last time we were here, I don’t think he played. I think it’s something special. He was here for a long time. Maybe he won’t show it. I always think — me even going back to the Clippers and Rockets, it’s still special to this day. We’ll see what happens, but I know he got a little fresh cut.
“We’ve got to win regardless, but for him it’s something special. It probably means a certain amount to him. I’m going to go in there and play hard regardless of who we’re playing against. But definitely we’ll try to do a little bit more for him for sure.”
Some luster was removed with the news that Luka Doncic, whom Brunson played behind and alongside, would not play because of an ankle injury. But there is so much more to Brunson’s tenure — and mostly his ending — in Dallas.
Dallas had an opportunity before the start of the 2021-22 season to offer him a four-year, $56 million contract extension but hesitated, choosing to maintain its roster flexibility. Brunson has said he would have signed the deal at midseason if it had been offered, something Mavs owner Mark Cuban now disputes.
Once the season ended, the Mavs never had a chance as the Knicks met with him and put a four-year, $107 million deal on the table. Actually, the contacts were made before the legally allowed time frame, the NBA decided, and it stripped the Knicks of a 2025 second-round pick as punishment. Either way, the Mavs never even got a meeting when free agency began. Cuban told reporters last April that once Brunson’s father, Rick, now a Knicks assistant coach, got involved, it was all over.
“There’s no animosity, no bad blood,” Jalen Brunson said. “I really wish them all well. It’s just how this business works.”
He said he still watches the Mavericks and has friends on the team and in the organization.
“I think at some point when I’m done playing basketball, I’ll look back and think about the evolution of how I became a basketball player,” he said. “But I’m definitely thankful for them and what they did for my career. But I try my best to keep what’s in front of me and not really focus on the past.
“Like I said before, this place means a lot to me. The fans were great to me, the organization is great. They had my back. There were definitely ups and downs and stuff like that. But they always had my back. This team and this city gets around its sports teams. They have a great fan base and I’m very thankful for the time I was here.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who put a lot of work into helping to develop Brunson, still has only positive feelings for him.
“He’s a competitor,” Kidd said. “He’s not afraid of this stage. He’s not afraid of the moment. He’s a leader. He’s an All-Star. He’s everything that you want. And he’s getting better. I don’t know what else I can say more positive about him. He’s a guy you want on your side because he’s not afraid of the moment. He’s a winner. I think his work ethic, his belief in himself, his basketball IQ — he knows how to play the game . . . He works at his game and he wants to be one of the best.”
Brunson has flourished in New York, perhaps in ways the Mavs could never have anticipated when they let him walk. He likely will be an All-Star this season, averaging 25.6 points and 6.4 assists per game entering Thursday night.
“I love where I’m at,” Brunson said of being a Knick. “This city, this organization has brought me in. And it’s meant the world to me. And it’s honestly been a dream come true. I just want to get better every single day and keep working on my game. It’s been nothing but amazing.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
