Byron Nelson
Some may say that Hall of Famer and Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd deserves some credit for former Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson’s new four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks.
Mavericks’ former second-round pick in 2018 had a career year and an excellent playoff run. In 18 playoff games, Brunson averaged 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.
Kidd was recently on the All the Smoke Podcast, and said he took satisfaction in Brunson’s deal.
“The biggest thing is I’m happy he got paid,’’ Kidd said. “He helped us. I know Mark Cuban doesn’t like this, but I love when I can get a player get paid.’’
“I tell a player on the first day of camp, ‘Tell me what you want,’ ” said Kidd. “Everyone wants shots. Everyone wants minutes. But that’s not the truth. They want to get paid and want to play.
“Cool. I can help you do that. The other part of that is I’m going to ask for a couple of things. Trust, communicate and play hard. If you ask Brunson, he will tell you he listened [to me] and good things happened. I just want to put people in position to be successful.’’
Cuban has no hard feelings towards Brunson leaving Dallas for New York.
“It really wasn’t about the amount of money,” Cuban said. “We really didn’t get a chance to make an offer. It was Jalen’s choice. And I understand it. He knew those guys his entire life. He grew up there. It makes perfect sense.” Jalen Brunson chose Knicks over re-signing with the Mavericks.
“No hard feelings,” Cuban said. “I wish him nothing but the best. You bust your ass, and you have that choice. He deserves it.” “It happens. It’s the way this league works. It’s a business. You trade a player; you say it’s a business. You lose a player. It’s a business. It’s just the way it goes.”
