By any objective measure, Jalen Brunson should be on a max contract right now.
The New York Knicks' star point guard has been named to the All-NBA second team each of the past three years.
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He finished 12th in MVP voting in 2022-23, fifth in 2023-24 and 10th in 2024-25. He also won the league's Clutch Player of the Year award in 2024-25.
If he isn't currently one of the NBA's top 10 players, he's not far off.
Typically, a player of Brunson's caliber would earn between 25-35% of the salary cap depending on tenure.
Brunson, finishing his eighth season, would be eligible for as much as 30% of the cap. Instead, he's earning less than 23% of this year's cap.
He is only going into the second season of the four-year, $156.5 million extension he signed in July 2024.
Perhaps Brunson won't be as magnanimous on his next contract.
But his financial sacrifice set the stage for the Knicks to get within three wins of their first championship in 50-plus years.
It also might be a blueprint for other stars and teams navigating the NBA's second-apron era.
How Brunson Helped Build the Knicks
Teams that go over the first apron—which the Knicks have soared above in each of the past two seasons—face restrictions.
They can't take back more salary than they send out via trade, can't acquire players via sign-and-trade, and can't sign someone on the buyout market who was previously earning more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
