Jalen Brunson made headlines this summer signing a four-year, $156.5 million sweetheart extension to stay with the Knicks – leaving as much as $113 million on the table.
This summer, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson – Jalen’s father – flew under the radar and received a promotion and raise within the Knicks organization.
That led to the NBA league office contacting the Knicks about the timing of Rick’s raise — did New York violate the league’s salary cap rules by agreeing to help his father if Jalen signed for less? — reports SNY.TV’s Ian Begley. The Knicks handled the news of that investigation in the most James Dolan way possible, releasing an aggressive, preemptive statement that undermined the entire premise of the investigation.
“In response to the rumored NBA investigation into Rick Brunson’s promotion, Brunson took the place of (former head coach) Johnnie Bryant and took the same salary as Bryant. It is insulting that anyone would argue that Rick did not deserve the promotion. Rick is doing a great job and will continue to do so. We see this as more harassment of the Knicks for our opposition to certain NBA issues.
Dolan sees a conspiracy everywhere. In this case, Dolan—whose family fortune came primarily from Cablevision, a cable television company (which has since expanded to include home Internet and more)—was critical of the N.B.A.
new 11-year, $76 billion television rights deal that moves the league toward more streaming options (the Dolans also own the cable-based MSG network that broadcasts Knicks games). That prompted the last line of the statement: “We view this as more harassment of the Knicks over our opposition to certain NBA matters.” Dolan has criticized NBA Commissioner Adam Silver several times, complaining about issues of transparency and other concerns, and resigned from the NBA’s influential advisory/finance and media committees last year.
It was no coincidence that Rick Brunson was hired to Tom Thibodeau’s staff in 2022, before Jalen Brunson signed there. It wasn’t a conspiracy in itself either. The elder Brunson, who played nine years in the NBA, had served on Thibodeau’s coaching staff twice before New York. Brunson was a trusted Thibodeau assistant. That said, the NBA investigated New York’s signing of Jalen Brunson and said the team contacted the free agent before it was officially allowed to do so, and that because of that tampering, the Knicks lost their 2025 second-round pick.
The elder Brunson’s raise this summer was in line with what other top assistants in the NBA earn, Begley reported.
