Dallas Mavericks rumors: Pistons eyeing other free agents over Jalen Brunson

The Dallas Mavericks have a massive offseason decision to make on Jalen Brunson. General manager and president of basketball operations Nico Harrison made it clear that re-signing Brunson is the team’s top priority, and rumors suggest the Mavs are the favorites to do just that.

The Knicks want to clear cap space in hopes of convincing Brunson to join his father and former agent in New York. They would need to trade multiple pieces to make the $20-plus million in room necessary to sign JB, which will likely cost the Knicks multiple draft picks.

Marc Stein dropped his latest rumors (subscription required) on June 23 where he notes the Detroit Pistons plan on targeting Deandre Ayton, Miles Bridges, and Collin Sexton over Brunson in free agency. Here is a look at what that means for the Mavs.

Dallas Mavericks rumors: Pistons eyeing other free agents over Jalen Brunson

The Pistons, Knicks, and Pacers have all been linked to Brunson in free agency, and Mavericks fans got a bit worried when Detroit traded Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers on June 22 and created a mountain of cap space in the process. The Pistons now have room to sign two marquee free agents, and there was fear they would throw a monster offer at JB to join Cade Cunningham in the Motor City.

It appears to be down to two teams in the pursuit of Brunson with Dallas in the lead. Free agency opens on June 30, and fans will be watching closely to see if New York can create the necessary cap space over the next week. If not, the Mavericks should quickly sign JB to a deal worth between $20 and $25 million per season.

Jalen Brunson’s free agency is one of the many storylines to watch closely as the NBA offseason heats up starting with Thursday’s draft. Buckle up because things are about to get wild.