The NBA stripped the New York Knicks of their 2025 second-round pick Wednesday as a result of its tampering investigation into the signing of point guard Jalen Brunson. Here’s what you need to know:
- The league found the Knicks engaged in free-agency discussions with Brunson “prior to the date when such discussions were permitted.”
- Brunson, a 2018 second-round pick by the Dallas Mavericks, signed a four-year contract with New York worth an estimated $110 million in June.
- The Mavericks never received a chance to make an offer, sources told The Athletic at the time, and Dallas viewed Brunson signing with the Knicks as a “certainty” before the free-agency period opened.
The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/qBA7JnwKlo
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 21, 2022
Backstory
Wednesday’s decision comes after similar NBA discipline last season, when the league took second-round picks away from the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat after investigations into their sign-and-trade deals for Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry, respectively.
Brunson, 26, is averaging a career-best 20.8 points per game for New York this season, second on the team behind Julius Randle.
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After an up-and-down start to the 2022-23 season, the Knicks have won eight consecutive games — the longest active streak in the NBA — and sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
How does this impact the Knicks?
It doesn’t impact them much. Historically, the league has stripped a team of its next second-round pick when it’s found a team guilty of tampering. This time, it’s the Knicks’ next second-round pick. They have the better of Utah’s or Cleveland’s 2024 second-rounder. They have Detroit’s and Miami’s as well. They remain overflowing with future seconds. Losing one is well worth the acquisition of their best player. — Katz
Is the penalty fair?
First, let’s break down why it happened. The NBA investigated three possible aspects of tampering, according to a league source: the June hiring of Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father, as an assistant; the signing of Isaiah Hartenstein, who agreed with the Knicks shortly after Jalen and is represented by the same agency; and the signing of Jalen. They got dinged only for jumping the gun on the signing of Jalen, which was agreed to before the official start of free agency. Teams in the past have lost a second-rounder for similar findings. — Katz
Required reading
- Jalen Brunson vs. Mavericks: What’s changed since he left Dallas for Knicks?
- Knicks have adjusted, momentum is building and it starts with defense
(Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)