Mark Cuban revisits letting Jalen Brunson leave Mavericks for Knicks

Jalen Brunson is one of the best players in the NBA and a true star in today’s game, but that wasn't always the case.

The New York Knicks point guard began his career with the Dallas Mavericks as a second-round (33rd overall) draft pick in 2018 after a successful collegiate career at Villanova.

Brunson was a solid bench piece throughout his time in Dallas before emerging as a true scoring option in 2021-22, averaging 16.3 PPG in the regular season and 21.6 PPG during their run to the Western Conference Finals that year.

After breaking out in his contract year, the New Jersey native had the opportunity to not only cash in but also find a team where he could be the star of the offense. Brunson indeed found that perfect fit, joining the Knicks on a four-year, $104 million deal. He’s taken off to new heights since arriving in the Big Apple, averaging 26.4 PPG in 222 games, and led the franchise to its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000 last season.

Brunson later revealed he wanted to stay in Dallas, but since no qualifying offer was made, parting ways was inevitable. So why didn’t the Mavericks try to re-sign the now two-time All-Star? Former principal owner and current minority owner Mark Cuban was recently asked what happened that summer on the "Run Your Race" podcast.

“We wanted him to stay; we had a chance to extend him during the season," Cuban said. "But remember, back then, it was always Get Luka some help. And we were looking to see if we could build something up with that. And JB wasn’t JB then. No, it wasn’t until he had that playoff series against Utah that he really blew up… We thought he was good, but we didn’t think he was that good. Not until that Utah game, but by the time we got to the end of the season, the communication wasn’t there. It just didn’t line up."