'One Big Family': Jalen Brunson Reveals Why He Signed with Knicks Over Mavs
The New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson era has officially begun.
After signing a four-year contract in excess of $100 million, the Knicks conducted their first media press conference with Brunson, who explained why he diced to leave the Dallas Mavericks in free agency.
“I’ve known [the Knicks] for a long time. It’s family,” said Brunson. “It’s a comfort level to this and something that I just couldn’t turn a blind eye to. I know that these guys have my best interests at heart, and I think Leon [Rose] probably saw me before my dad did, so it’s just one big family for me and I’m just super excited."
Although the decision to leave Dallas – the place where he spent the first four years of his career – appeared to be an easy one based on the fact that the Mavs didn't even get the chance to give a last-ditch pitch, Brunson assured everyone that it was tough on him.
“For the longest time, I thought I’d never leave Dallas. I thought Dallas was my home for my entire career," said Brunson. "It’s great place, a place that I really wanted to be, and I’m so thankful that they took a chance on me. It was definitely tough. I’m going to miss my teammates. That organization’s special. The relationships that I made that, it was really special, so I’m definitely going to miss it.”
Although family ties are important, the Knicks hope that some of those "immaculate vibes," as Brunson likes to say, translate to on-court success next season. Brunson is coming off a career year where he averaged 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 50.2 percent from the field, including 37.3 percent from 3-point range. He was a key reason the Mavs made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, and now he'll try to do similar things in New York as the lead guard.
“[I’m a] person who’s never going to quit. I’ve never quit, that’s never been in my DNA. Something about me is that it’s about the little things for me," said Brunson.
"People see the stats and all that stuff, but the things that matter to me most [are] the little things like putting my body on the line for my teammates, diving on the ground, being that person that everyone can turn to saying, ‘That guy is going to do everything he can to help this team win a game,’ and that’s just how I’ve been my entire life.”
More big things could still happen before training camp, as the Knicks have been tied to Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell in trade talk reports, but for now, the Brunson buzz should be enough to tide people over.
You can follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter at @dalton_trigg
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