Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith are eligible for 4-year, $55 million extensions

[KillerLeft]

I think there is another layer to decisions around Brunson that I find interesting.  Not only does Dallas have to decide what Brunson, the player, is worth.  In a LT world, they also have to decide what they are willing to pay for a 12-16 minute backup PG.  It wouldn’t shock me to see Brunson break the MLE next summer.  I think the comps make a good argument for that.  It would mildly surprise me if he did it here given his limited role.  

That is interesting, but what I'm saying is that I don't believe it's a given that he'll be a backup, even here in Dallas. I think he could start on some teams right now, with more teams getting added to that list as he improves again this season (if he does), and my guess is that what they need to decide is not whether it's worth paying him as a generously compensated backup, because I think it's a forgone conclusion that he's on a collision course with starter money. To me, the only part of the mystery that truly matters is: Can Brunson start on this team?