Re-signing Brunson at a deal that pays him $30 million annually, per Bobby Mark’s calculations, could cost the team $130 million in salary and subsequent taxes next season. That’s without the team using its taxpayer’s mid-level exception, a $6.4-million carveout that the team might need to sign another wing or split among several players asking more than the veteran’s minimum. It’s another calculation the team must make, a financial one dependent on how much Cuban is truly willing to spend. Dallas can’t be blamed for its valuation of Brunson being lower than New York’s. Team sources have certainly expressed surprise and dismay at just how much the Knicks are prepared to offer him. But sometimes, that’s the cost of free agency. -via The Athletic / June 30, 2022
