Jalen Brunson Sacrificed Over $100 Million To Help Build The Knicks’ Championship-Winning Team

BreakingBusinessBreaking NewsJalen Brunson Sacrificed Over $100 Million To Help Build The Knicks’ Championship-Winning TeamByZachary Folk,Forbes Staff. I cover breaking news.Follow AuthorJun 14, 2026, 12:04pm EDTToplineJalen Brunson, the 29-year-old New York Knicks point guard, was named the NBA Finals MVP after the team won their first championship title in 53 years on Saturday night—but the team that ended the title drought only came together after Brunson left a massive amount of money on the table two years earlier.Brunson effectively gave up $113 million after signing a contract extension in 2024.Getty ImagesKey FactsBrunson signed with the Knicks in 2022 with a contract worth $104 million—a bargain for a future Finals MVP when superstars like Nikola Jokic were signing contracts worth up to $276 million.Brunson then agreed to a $156.6 million contract extension over the summer in 2024, signing a deal for less money than if he waited to negotiate during free agency.Had Brunson waited until his free agency, he would have been eligible for a deal worth a reported $269 million over the next five years—effectively turning down about $113 million, giving the Knicks the salary cap space to build out a championship-winning team around him.The Knicks went on to acquire crucial parts of their 2026 squad with the available space, including Karl-Anthony Towns and Brunson’s former Villanova teammate Mikal Bridges. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elements.video/player.js?cid=62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; script.setAttribute('defer', '1'); script.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); iframeDoc.body.appendChild(script); }; document.head.appendChild(iframe); const preloadResourcesEndpoint = 'https://cds.elements.video/...