'High Likelihood' Jalen Brunson Could Have Landed With Brooklyn Nets in Strange Scenario

The 'what if?' game is never fun when it comes to the NBA, because ultimately the potential outcomes that never come to fruition pointlessly dwells on the minds of fans. It serves as a tease, especially in this wild scenario.

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon on The Knicks Film School podcast, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson could have ended up in an entirely different borough.

“If Brunson signs that extension with [the] Dallas [Mavericks], I think there is a high likelihood that he would be with the Brooklyn Nets right now,” MacMahon said. “Because listen, Mark Cuban has always been about chasing stars… Kyrie [Irving] was going to become available the next season as he did. At the time the Mavericks did because they needed a star to replace Brunson, but I think they would have looked at that as an upgrade.”

In this wild hypothetical, let's assume Kevin Durant being exchanged for Mikal Bridges happens regardless of what package Irving generates. This would pair Brunson and Bridges in Brooklyn at the 2023 season's trade deadline, creating the Nets' own Villanova tandem.

The irony here is that Brunson and Bridges wound up as teammates anyways, just with Brooklyn's cross-town rival. Given the Nets' return for Irving was extremely underwhelming now that the Dallas Mavericks' guard has risen back to to rank of elite, seeing Brunson wearing the black and white surely would have eased the pain for some Nets fans.

It's unfortunate that history cannot be rewritten, because had this deal actually gone down, Brooklyn's current rebuild could've been prevented altogether.

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