'I didn't get involved; I've been involved'- Rick Brunson claps back at Mark Cuban for calling him out

Jalen Brunson had a fallout with the Dallas Mavericks and ended up parting ways in 2022. Mark Cuban's situation was somewhat salvageable until he thought things went awry because the "parents got involved." Jalen's dad, Rick Brunson set the record straight, although he admits he had no hard feelings for the Mavs minority owner.

"Let's make it very clear: It wasn't the parents; it was me. And I didn't get involved; I've been involved," the elder Brunson said on The Roommates Show podcast. "It's my son. I'm a coach first. Well, I'm a father first, then a coach. I understand the business. Mark, Rick Carlisle, Jason Kidd, love him. They did great by him. It was a business decision on their part, and we accepted that."

The Business Decision

A "business decision" could mean many things, but Jalen made Rick clarify what he meant so he wouldn't be speaking in riddles to fans.

"The business decision was they wanted you to go into free agency, which I would've done, too, to see if you're gonna get the mid-level or the 55. And then, they could match it, or whatever. That's a business decision and I knew that. I've been in the business too long not to understand the business. So to say the parents, I didn't like that particularly, because I played in this league. I understand how this works. I was never mad at him… He has a job to do, but my job is to protect you (Jalen), period. If that's how he felt, I'm sure he'd do the same for his kids," added Rick.

The New York Knicks All-Star revealed at an appearance on the All the Smoke podcast that he approached the Mavs twice for a four-year, $55 million contract. (That's the 55 Rick talked about.) The Dallas brass was initially on the fence but decided to offer it to Jalen after the two-time NCAA champion stepped up after Luka Doncic's injury.

At one point, Brunson scored double figures in 39 straight games in the 2021-22 season, to which the Mavs went 23-16. In 10 consecutive games without Doncic, JB averaged 20.1 points and 7.8 assists while shooting a 52 percent clip from the field. By then, Jalen felt he had outgrown that money, turned down the extension, and waited for restricted free agency. The Knicks swooped in with a four-year, $104 million, an amount that the Mavs refused to match.

All's well that ends well

Brunson's arrival injected a jolt of energy the Knicks fans needed in a long time. The Orange and Blue made two straight postseasons, going into a Game 7 with the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2024 playoffs. They put up a valiant fight, but the banged-up Knicks were missing players left and right, including All-Star Julius Randle.

On the other hand, Dallas used its money to facilitate a trade to bring in Kyrie Irving. While they missed the 2023 postseason, the Mavericks made it to the NBA Finals in 2024, dispatching the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. Needless to say, everything went well for both teams.

"I think everyone is happy now," Rick concluded.

Interestingly, both squads are off to an inconsistent start. The Knicks are 6-6 after 12 games, while the Mavs are 5-7 over the same number of outings. The main difference is that playing in the East allows a bigger margin of error than out in the West. Despite their record, New York is number four in the Eastern Conference, while Dallas is 12th behind the Clippers and the Spurs.