Jalen Brunson ranked as 7th best free agent by John Hollinger

The Dallas Mavericks have a massive decision to make this summer on free agent guard Jalen Brunson. The 25-year-old proved he is a full-time starter and impactful contributor in the playoffs during his fourth NBA season. He led the Mavs to two wins in three postseason games without Luka Doncic and was the second-leading scorer on a team that reached the Western Conference Finals.

Brunson is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and he made himself a ton of money during the team’s playoff run. The 6’1 guard answered all the questions about his ability to score and produce in the biggest games. The Mavericks plan on re-signing Brunson, but it got a lot more expensive to do over the last year.

The Athletic’s John Hollinger released his annual free-agent rankings (subscription required) on June 8. The former Grizzlies front office executive uses a metric he calls BORD$ to calculate each player's value, and Brunson’s number may surprise some fans.

Jalen Brunson ranked as 7th best free agent by John Hollinger

Four players were deserving of max contracts by Hollinger’s system. Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Bradley Beal, and Zach LaVine were the only ones that qualified. Deandre Ayton and Miles Bridges were the only two other players to rank ahead of Jalen Brunson. Hollinger pegged JB’s value at $29.4 million per season, and he notes that the 6’1 guard should get around $25 million each year in free agency over a four-year deal.

Jalen Brunson is going to get over $20 million per season in free agency, and if the Mavs re-sign him, it will push the team deep into the luxury tax. Owner Mark Cuban made it clear he wants Brunson back, but will he be willing to pay north of $90 million next season to keep him with the luxury tax penalties owed to the league?

Fans will be watching closely, and they can check back to The Smoking Cuban for all the latest on Jalen Brunson’s free agency and for all the Dallas Mavericks news and rumors this offseason.