Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has opened up about his former point guard Jalen Brunson’s departure in the recent “All The Smoke” podcast, saying he is happy for him.
“The biggest thing is I’m happy he got paid,’’ Kidd said. “He helped us. I know [Mavericks owner Mark] Cuban doesn’t like this, but I love when I can get a player get paid.’’
After mostly serving as a backup prior to that season, Brunson was the Mavericks’ second-best player when they reached the Western Conference Finals in 2021-2022.
When All-Star point guard Luka Doncic went down with an injury, Brunson averaged 20.4 points, 7.5 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 17 games. He also stepped up and helped the team get a 2-1 series lead over the Utah Jazz in the first round.
His performance paved the way for him to sign a four-year, $104 million contract with the New York Knicks in free agency, where he will be the team’s starter.
“I tell a player on the first day of camp, ‘Tell me what you want,’” Kidd continued. “Everyone wants shots. Everyone wants minutes. But that’s not the truth. They want to get paid and want to play. ”
“Cool. I can help you do that. The other part of that is I’m going to ask for a couple of things. Trust, communicate and play hard. If you ask Brunson, he will tell you he listened [to me] and good things happened. I just want to put people in position to be successful.’’ he added.
Kidd, a former NBA player himself, acknowledged that staying with the same team isn’t always possible for all players. Brunson’s role with the Knicks will be expanded, giving him the ability to “run his own team.”
“There’s 30 companies in the NBA,’’ Kidd said. “We all can’t stay in the same company. For him to go to New York to get paid and an opportunity to run his own team. I’m happy for him.’’
Knicks sign Brunson
NBA executive lauded Brunson’s signing with the Knicks, believing that the team has a promising future with the point guard.
“It’s hard to get players of that ability, especially at that age [26],’’ one Western Conference personnel director said. “You’re getting him as he enters his prime. What they’re paying him is not an overpay.”
“It’s one of the better moves the Knicks have made in years,’’ he added.
RJ Barrett, Brunson’s teammate, expressed excitement about playing with the newly-acquired player at the Garden’s season-ticketholder event.
“Jalen’s great,’’ Barrett said “A really hard worker. He works on his game a lot. He has a natural leadership ability too. Being around him, I’ve gotten to gravitate toward him. When we’re together, we’ll play well, especially with us both lefties.’’
Ongoing tampering investigation
The NBA is investigating whether the Knicks tampered with Brunson’s offseason signing, with the league looking into whether the team contacted the guard prior to the start of free agency.
There are also concerns regarding the fact that his father, Rick Brunson, is an assistant on Tom Thibodeau’s staff and that Knicks president Leon Rose is his godfather.
Another factor that contributed to the investigation was the trade of veterans Kemba Walker, shooting guard Alec Burks, and center Nerlens Noel to the Detroit Pistons in order to make room on the roster for Brunson.
Also, when free agency began, the Brunson family was on vacation in Jamaica, and they had no intention of discussing or talking with the Mavericks to hear their counterproposal.
If the league finds the Knicks guilty of tampering, they may face penalties such as fines or the loss of draft picks.