Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he would have paid what was necessary to re-sign talented guard Jalen Brunson, however, there was a specific person in the player’s camp working against the team. Brunson’s father.
With the 2022-2023 regular season set to come to a conclusion in the next few days, there is one undeniable fact about the Dallas Mavericks campaign. Losing Jalen Brunson in NBA free agency this summer was a death blow to their chances this season.
Brunson and incumbent superstar Luka Doncic formed a fantastic combo in the final months of last season and through the NBA Playoffs as the Mavs shocked the basketball world by reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2021-2022. As the team entered the offseason, all signs pointed to them re-signing the 26-year-old, but it wasn’t long before that quickly changed.
Even before NBA free agency opened, there were rumblings around the league that the New York Knicks had made Brunson their top offseason priority and were closing in on a deal for him. Once the market opened, a contract was finalized and the Dallas Mavericks were left wondering how they lost out on such a key player despite having the ability to offer more years and money.
The frustration in his departure has only grown in recent months as the Knicks had a strong showing this season as they are back in the playoffs — due in no small part to Brunson’s stellar play. While the Mavericks have been a disaster this year, despite a blockbuster trade for superstar guard Kyrie Irving.
Following the team’s big win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban spoke to the media about the team’s failed attempt at re-signing Brunson last summer. And he said a positive situation with the player quickly went “south was when Rick [Brunson] took over, when the parent took over, or parents took over.”
It has been known for some time that Jalen’s father Rick Brunson — an NBA veteran who was added to the Knicks coaching staff in the offseason — had a major impact on his son’s free agent decision.
Cuban claims the Mavericks chose not to trade Brunson at last season’s deadline because of a belief they could re-sign him since he led the organization to believe he had every intention of staying in Dallas.
Dallas Mavericks record: 38-42
“We wanted to re-sign him and we wanted to keep the season going together. We thought because JB kept on telling us he liked being here. JB never gave us an indication. It was only the parents that were the issue. Even the agent said, worst case, we can do a sign-and-trade,” the Dallas Mavericks owner said [via ESPN].
In the end, Dallas wasn’t even allowed the chance to match the Knicks’ massive four-year, $104 million offer, and it’s why Cuban believes his leaving was never about the money and instead about the influence his father had over him.
“They never gave us a number. Knowing the numbers now, I would’ve paid it in a heartbeat, but he wouldn’t have come anyway,” he said. “There’s just no possible way that it was about money. I mean, there was no negotiation. They didn’t give us a number. I mean, you would think that when you’re the incumbent team and you can match anything, that’s the way it works. Right? You have a relationship with the agent and they want to at least give you a chance because you helped develop the player.”
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