Mark Cuban and Jalen Brunson Discuss What Went Down in 2022 FA

[Sam Asim]

Timestamp 45:27. Jalen's 2022 FA topic lasts about 8 minutes.

This was awkward as hell. I'm shocked both agreed to talk about it publicly. I REALLY hate this topic. It reminds me so much of the Steve Nash debacle and I hate bringing it up, but there are a lot of interesting moments here. 

First, JB the entire time keeps saying "my agent tells me Dallas hasn't replied". He also mentioned as soon as his dad got hired by the Knicks he'd regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't "give the Knicks a chance" at a meeting. Which stood out to me. 

Mark is saying the opposite, that they consistently kept trying to pull a number from the agent so that they could match but JB's agent refused to tell him anything. So much so that Mark said "we don't want to come to NYK for no reason, if you're willing to hear us out we'll come." Which stood out to me.

When you factor in that JB's agent is Sam Rose, the son of the Knicks GM and PBO Leon Rose, things get very interesting.   


Essentially Mark and Nico basically felt that JB had already made up his mind LONG ago before the Mavs even had a chance. There wasn't much new in this conversation, but it truthfully feels like to me that JB had his mind set on New York as soon as he had a chance. Feels like JB wanted to leave for NYK but didn't want to be made out as the bad guy.  The fact the Knicks got investigated for tampering and were fined in this ordeal kind of seals that fact.

Does this clear the Mavs Front Office for their sin of letting him go for free? No. Not at all. Brunson should've never hit unrestricted free agency and Donnie Nelson's oversight of JB's contract structure was malpractice. Further, I don't think JB's supposed interest in the Knicks was a secret. The Mavs should've traded Brunson (which I believe they tried) for whatever they could've gotten at that TDL.

This situation is incredibly awkward and definitely brings up uncomfortable parallels with past NBA dramas, like the Steve Nash situation. It’s clear both sides have their own narrative: Jalen Brunson’s camp, particularly through his agent, claimed they weren’t getting proper communication from the Mavs, while Mark Cuban insists the Mavs were actively trying to keep JB by offering to match but never got the chance.
The connection to New York makes this even more complex, especially with Brunson’s agent being the son of Knicks GM Leon Rose and his father on the Knicks coaching staff. It feels like JB had his mind made up about New York long before free agency, and perhaps the Mavs were just out of the loop.
While the Knicks got fined for tampering, the Mavs still bear responsibility. Letting Brunson walk without getting anything in return is a front office failure. They should’ve locked him up earlier or traded him before the situation became inevitable. Watching Brunson thrive in New York only makes it tougher for Mavs fans.

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

JB should have been extended far before he became an UFA.

[Dundalis]

The main issue here is that he left for nothing. Not that we didn't keep him. He needed to be moved, we just should have been able to get good assets back. Look it his time of possession and usage. 1st in TOP ahead of Luka, and 4th in usage.

Unlike Kyrie, Brunson can't output close to what he's doing in NY without Luka levels of ball dominance. He'd still be putting up the numbers he put up his last year in Dallas if he was still here, which is still good, but a lot of what he does great in NY would be lost on this team. Never fit next to Luka well long term. I don't wish he was still on the team, more that we didn't get any assets back.

[Mavs2021]

The main issue here is that he left for nothing. Not that we didn't keep him. He needed to be moved, we just should have been able to get good assets back. Look it his time of possession and usage. 1st in TOP ahead of Luka, and 4th in usage.

Unlike Kyrie, Brunson can't output close to what he's doing in NY without Luka levels of ball dominance. He'd still be putting up the numbers he put up his last year in Dallas if he was still here, which is still good, but a lot of what he does great in NY would be lost on this team. Never fit next to Luka well long term. I don't wish he was still on the team, more that we didn't get any assets back.

Can´t we just let this die, so I don´t have to read stuff like this anymore.

1. Cuban would have gotten us some old farts for Brunson, not assets in picks or young players.

2. Of course Luka and Brunson would have worked. They went to the West finals with Luka/Brunson and four guys that are barely NBA players anymore.