Brunson’s rise – Jalen Brunson became the star Dallas Mavericks kept almost within reach and ultimately let walk. Four years after he left for the New York Knicks on a four-year, $104 million deal, Brunson sealed the 2026 NBA title with a 45-point effort in a 94-90 Game 5 win
There’s a specific kind of quiet panic that settles over a franchise when a contract conversation never quite turns into commitment.
In 2022, the Dallas Mavericks traded Kristaps Porzingis away and unlocked something in Jalen Brunson. During that year’s NBA playoffs, he didn’t just look promising—he looked like a star in the making. The Mavericks still reached the Western Conference Finals. despite fielding a shallow roster. and Brunson’s rise became the clearest signal that Dallas had something worth building around.
Then the Mavericks let him go.
Brunson left for the New York Knicks in free agency on a four-year, $104 million contract. At the time. plenty of people weren’t sure they’d seen the full picture—there were doubts about whether the Knicks overpaid to fill a longstanding void at point guard. That skepticism has long since evaporated. New York has been a playoff force ever since bringing Brunson in. and in 2026 it finally pushed through and won it all.
The Knicks closed the championship by taking care of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. winning the series 4-1. Brunson put the finishing stamp on it in the most unforgiving setting: he scored 45 points on efficient shooting in the Knicks’ 94-90 win on the road in Game 5 to seal the title. He also won Finals MVP.
What makes the moment sting in Dallas is how predictable it feels in hindsight.
The Mavericks’ refusal to fully believe they had a franchise-level player in Brunson played out over and over in contract negotiations. with the article’s core detail landing on one point: they repeatedly lowballed him. By the time Brunson made his move. the relationship between the star guard and the Mavericks was frayed—an emotional and practical gap that was only widened by personal ties. Brunson’s father, Rick, had connections in New York, and that background made leaving for the Knicks easier.
It wasn’t the Mavericks’ first time missing a potential anchor at point guard.
In 2004. Dallas infamously let Steve Nash go before he turned the Phoenix Suns around and went on to win back-to-back MVPs. For more than half a decade. the Suns had a realistic chance of winning it all with Nash leading the way. Now. the Mavericks find themselves caught in a similar kind of regret—this time with Brunson. and the consequences bigger than ever.
A Luka Doncic championship with the Los Angeles Lakers would be worse for Dallas. That possibility hangs over the franchise as a reminder of how quickly stars can turn into eras elsewhere.
For now, though, Brunson’s title is the headline—and the uncomfortable answer to the question Dallas never fully managed to settle in 2022: what happens when you don’t pay attention until it’s too late?
Jalen Brunson Dallas Mavericks New York Knicks NBA Finals 2026 San Antonio Spurs Finals MVP Kristaps Porzingis Steve Nash Luka Doncic point guard contract
94-90?? That’s like a wrestling score lol. Brunson went off though.
Dallas really fumbled that contract talk. I mean it says they just let him walk like ??? and then he wins a title. I hate that kind of drama.
Wait so Mavericks traded Porzingis then somehow Brunson got bad? That’s what it kinda sounds like to me. Also 45 points but final score 94-90… was the defense like non existent or what
I saw “$104 million” and instantly thought the Knicks definitely paid too much at the time, but now it’s like okay nvm he deserved it. Still feel bad for Dallas fans though, because it’s always “we didn’t commit” and then boom Finals MVP.