Knicks Must Win Title After Jalen Brunson Sacrifice

Jalen Brunson's reduced contract means the New York Knicks have to win a championship in order to make it worth it.

May 19, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the third quarter of game seven of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports | Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is making arguably the biggest sacrifice in NBA history by signing his new contract this summer as opposed to next.

Brunson signed a four-year, $156.6 million contract extension this offseason instead of waiting one more year to sign a deal that would have earned him $113 million more than what he signed for.

Leaving that much money on the table has earned Brunson a ton of praise from fans, media members and critics from all over. It even earned him a captaincy from the Knicks, cementing his place as part of franchise history forever.

While Brunson's sacrifice is noble and he's helping the Knicks save a lot of money and his teammates earn their keep on top of it, that isn't the reason why the star point guard is doing what he is doing. He's making this deal to help the Knicks win a championship.

Brunson won two championships in college at Villanova and is hungry for his first NBA title. He's close to getting there as the Knicks won 50 games this past season, earning them the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs. The Knicks were one win away from going to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, but fell in seven games to the Indiana Pacers after the injuries began to pile up too much.

The Knicks are combatting that by trading for Brunson's collegiate teammate Mikal Bridges, who has yet to miss a game in his six-year career and has emerged into one of the best role players in the league.

Add in a healthy Julius Randle and OG Anunoby and a title team can absolutely be formed from the base the Knicks have. However, if they are unable of achieving their lofty goal, Brunson's multi-million dollar sacrifice will all be for naught.

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