Mark Cuban Calls Out Knicks' Jalen Brunson Punishment

Brunson's signing with the Knicks has transferred the New York-Dallas rivalry from the gridiron to the hardwood, as Cuban and the Mavericks took issue with the point guard signing in Manhattan mere days after the Knicks hired Rick Brunson, Jalen's father, to serve as an assistant coach.

Knicks president Leon Rose, Rick's agent during his playing days, is also Jalen's godfather and Cuban publicly lamented "parents" getting involved. Jalen would confront Cuban about those comments during a 2024 episode of the "Roommates Show" podcast, where the latter apologized for getting family involved. The Knicks fully cooperated with the league's investigation, which eventually took away their second-round pick in this most recent draft.

Torre's reporting of Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers allegedly circumventing the salary cap through a "no-show" endorsement deal with Aspiration, a sustainable banking and investment company owned by team owner Steve Ballmer, has drawn renewed interest in Brunson's case.

Asked by Torre if the Knicks were circumventing the cap with Brunson, Cuban remarked "I don't know." That question came shortly after Cuban denied that he and the Mavericks engaged in a similar situation in 2014, when his film distribution company Magnolia Pictures purchased "Nowitzki: The Perfect Shot," a documentary centered on the career of Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki.

Some have urged Torre to look into the discounted contract extension that Jalen signed with the Knicks last summer, as New York detractors have wondered if the smaller deal affording New York greater financial flexibility was a kickback for the elder Brunson rising to the associate head coach's role last season.

The league was reportedly looking into Rick's promotion last season, a situation that an MSG Sports statement labeled "offensive" while Jalen himself remarked that his father was "more than qualified" for such a position.