Knicks Could Land All Stars With Jalen Brunson: Report

Getty

Jalen Brunson of the Dallas Mavericks, who is affiliated with the New York Knicks.

With the New York Knicks about to land defending their franchise spot, it’s likely a big talent will come his way.

The news around the league is that the Knicks are expected to bring in Jalen Brunson into free agency on a four-year deal that will pay at least 100 million dollars. It’s been a big payday for the Dallas Mavericks guard, and while he may have been offered a contract by the Mavs at that ballpark, it seems he’s looking to take on a bigger role in New York.

Interestingly, an NBA analyst floated the idea of ​​the Knicks skipping Brunson in favor of the San Antonio Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray. As it turns out, teams around the league believe the Knicks can land him as well as Brunson by SNY’s Ian Begley.

Why not both?

In an effort to really strengthen their base, the Knicks are said to be looking at a pair of high-level talent that could become the back lane of the future.

“Some teams are looking at the bigger landscape here,” Begley said. “They don’t think Jalen Brunson is the final move for the Knicks this season… Those teams see the Knicks as potentially active in the commercial market. Apparently, Dejounte Murray’s name was out there.”

Murray’s name has been considered a commercial candidate by Spurs, with the latest rumors link him to the Atlanta Hawks.

“The rival teams see Brunson and Murray as a really, really hot fit in the backline.”

Begley added that the Knicks don’t consider Brunson the franchise’s frugal type of player, and it’s a fair assessment that he’s not at the level of someone like Kyrie Irving, a name also associated with New. York before he picked with the Brooklyn Nets.

The squad can be deadly

With Nerlens Noel, Evan Fournier and Alec Burks selected as commercial candidates to free up the cap space needed to get Brunson, the Knicks could look very different next season.

If the Knicks take out Murray, the starting lineup might look like this:

• PG: Dejounte Murray
• SG: Jalen Brunson
• SF: RJ Barrett
• PF: Julius Randle
• C: Mitchell Robinson

Obviously, the Knicks will need to make a lot of moves to make that happen, but faith in the league makes it seem like a possibility.

While some fans would like to see Randle move out this summer, it doesn’t look like that will happen. What will follow is a return to form as he is named an All-Star and a member of the All-NBA team. If that happens and the Knicks add Brunson and Murray, then New York could find themselves easily back in the knockout stages.

A healthy Derrick Rose will help secure the bench, which was certainly missing from last season’s squad. On top of that, if Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin and Cam Reddish (if he stays) can grow a bit more, the Knicks have a nice lineup to head into the new year.

CONTINUE READING: Knicks Draft Pick Draw Compares Defensive Player of the Year