Mark Cuban Was Prepared for Jalen Brunson's Mavs Departure
The Dallas Mavericks pulled off an impressive run to the Western Conference Finals last season. The results they achieved were influenced significantly by the contributions Jalen Brunson provided along the way.
As Brunson contributed to the Mavericks' lengthiest playoff run since their 2011 NBA championship, the thought of his eventual free agency departure loomed.
The departure of Jalen Brunson after the Western Conference Finals was among the highlights of a recent 1-on-1 live interview Mark Cuban participated in with Bleacher Report.
Cuban explained how there was an internal expectation that Brunson would likely depart in free agency. Following their playoff elimination, there was no shortage of hints that an eventual signing with the Knicks would occur.
“It’s weird because we kind of knew it was happening," Cuban said. "There was a whole confluence of issues coming along. After we got eliminated from the playoffs, and there’s hint after hint after hint."
The Knicks had no shortage of personal connections to Brunson to the point where the possibility of him signing with their organization was a midseason storyline. It began with the Knicks hiring Brunson's father, Rick, to their coaching staff.
Rick played for the Knicks from 1998-2000 and in 2000-01 and was the first client of former agent and now Knicks president Leon Rose. The ties between Jalen and the Knicks go well beyond that simple fact.
Rick was also a member of Tim Thibodeau's coaching staff during his time with the Chicago Bulls, so there's already familiarity from Jalen with Thibodeau. During that same period, Derrick Rose became Jalen's basketball idol and mentor, and for now, Rose is still on the team.
“It’s family. It’s a comfort level to this, and something I just couldn’t turn a blind eye to. I knew that these guys have my best interests at heart. They’ve known me since … I think Leon probably saw me before my dad did,” joked Brunson, while speaking at a fan event closed to the media. “It’s just one big family for me, and I’m just super excited.”
By trading for Spencer Dinwiddie in part of the transaction that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards, the Mavericks had insulated themselves in the event of Brunson's possible free agency departure.
The Knicks needed to clear a significant amount of salary cap space to truly make a run at Brunson given the Mavericks' disinterest in facilitating a sign-and-trade. New York made a lot of progress on the night of the NBA Draft.
"There were certain moves other teams were making to open up cap room, and that made it kind of obvious where he was going," Cuban said in response to being asked about the hints he saw. "And that’s the way it played out.”
As the Knicks cleared cap space, the Mavericks used two future second round picks to acquire the No. 37 overall selection. It enabled them to gain the necessary position to select former G League Ignite guard Jaden Hardy.
The Mavericks experienced significant success last season by deploying three impactful guards with Luka Doncic, Dinwiddie, and Brunson. They haven't yet replaced Brunson with an experienced option, but perhaps they will lean on Dinwiddie more given he will have a full season of play after his ACL tear.
Despite Brunson's departure, the Mavericks feel they are a better team today than they were when competing in the Western Conference Finals. The trade to acquire Christian Wood along with Dinwiddie's status are viewed as major catalysts.
"We think we are going to have a better team," Cuban said." And that’s no disrespect to Jalen. Jalen had an amazing role, but adding Christian Wood, having Spencer (Dinwiddie) further away from his injury and more comfortable in their roles."
With Doncic being the floor general for the Mavericks in big moments, Brunson was primarily in a role where scoring was the priority. Cuban envisions Wood replacing the scoring production that Brunson offered.
"For us to pick up the guys we did and go to the Western Conference finals, it says a lot," Cuban explained. "JB was obviously big part, but I think JB’s primary role for us was scoring. And I think we more than compensated for that with Christian."
What matters most for the Mavericks is that Doncic sets the tone as one of the NBA's top players. Surrounding him with as much shooting as possible is going to result in a high-level offense. As long as there is a competent defense, the overall results should offer plenty of potential.
You can follow Grant Afseth on Twitter at @GrantAfseth.
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