Dallas Mavericks 2022 free agency grades

Dallas Mavericks 2022 free agency grade: Jalen Brunson signs with Knicks

The Mavs made re-signing Brunson their top offseason priority after failing to sign him to a four-year extension worth $55.6 million during last season. One year ago, JB was coming off a poor playoff performance that saw him on the court for just ten minutes in the decisive Game 7 against the LA Clippers. He would have taken the extension, and the Mavericks would be sitting on one of the best bargain contracts in the league.

Instead, they let Brunson play out the season, and the 25-year-old broke out. He earned a place in the starting five before becoming the Mavericks' second-leading scorer. JB was even better in the playoffs as he averaged 21.6 points per game and helped Dallas reach the conference finals for just the fifth time in franchise history.

Jalen Brunson enjoyed his time with the Mavs, but the Knicks always loomed as a threat in free agency. The 6’1 guard has a close family relationship with Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks hired Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father, as an assistant coach this summer, and offered him a four-year deal worth over $100 million to join the team. It was just too good to pass up.

Dallas Mavericks 2022 free agency grade for losing Jalen Brunson to Knicks: F

Dallas gets a failure for not only losing Jalen Brunson but getting zero return. They could have created a trade exception by giving the Knicks a second-round pick, but the Mavericks refused. Instead, they got absolutely nothing as their second-best player departed for the Big Apple.