ESPN's Brian Windhorst wrote during last year's Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Indiana Pacers: "Their ability to keep the team together, and add to it, is less a question of dollars and more about flexibility under the NBA's newish apron rules."
Windhorst added: "And this is why there is a belief across the league that New York is just opening its own pathway, perhaps right alongside Indiana.
At the heart of why is star Jalen Brunson's four-year, $156 million contract extension."
Will Other Stars Follow Suit?
We're now three full seasons into this CBA.
Players, front office executives, and owners alike have seen how difficult it is to build teams around three max contracts unless you're the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Even the Thunder have tough financial decisions to make this offseason now that Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are no longer on rookie-scale deals.
This CBA effectively gives star players a binary choice: maximize earning potential or championship equity.
Paul George chose the former when he signed a four-year, $211.6 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency two years ago.
He has exactly four playoff wins to show for it.
Brunson and the Knicks are three wins away from winning four playoff series this year alone.
Some older stars, such as Kyrie Irving and James Harden, have begun to take below-max deals in recent years, largely due to age and other circumstances.
In-their-prime stars—and even a few past-their-prime stars like George—are still routinely getting full max deals.
