NBA looking into Knicks tampering in Jalen Brunson deal: Will it impact Mavericks?

The Dallas Mavericks lost Jalen Brunson as the 6’1 guard decided to sign with the New York Knicks in free agency. Brunson has strong ties to New York and their organization, and the massive contract the Knicks offered made it a no-brainer for JB to leave the Mavs. Dallas misplayed the entire situation from his rookie contract to their belief the Knicks could not create the cap space to sign him.

Brunson’s signing in New York immediately drew plenty of questions. The Knicks hired his father as an assistant coach over the summer. Rick Brunson has coached four different NBA teams and has over a decade of coaching experience, but he was part of the Mavericks' negotiations on extending his son's contract during last season. The son of Knicks president Leon Rose is also Brunson’s primary agent.

The NBA opened a tampering investigation into the Knicks signing Brunson on August 1, according to Chris Haynes. The signing seemed like a done deal a few days before free agency opened. How does the investigation and potential penalties impact the Mavericks?

NBA to investigate Knicks for tampering on Jalen Brunson deal: Mavericks impact?

Brad Townsend asked a Mavericks source how the Brunson deal was not tampering, and fans can see the text exchange below.

The NBA is just beginning its investigation, and the close family ties in this situation make it a bit murkier. Does the league want to police a father discussing things with his son, even if they work for two different organizations? There is a double father-son duo here, which complicates matters that much further.

The Dallas Mavericks will not benefit from the investigation in any way. If the NBA finds that the Knicks tampered in the Brunson signing, they will likely lose a future second-round draft pick. That has been the standard penalty in recent years.

Every team tampers. How would all those deals be signed seconds to minutes after free agency opens if there was no tampering? The question is the degree and what penalty the league wants to enforce here. It won’t impact the Dallas Mavericks, but the Knicks could lose a draft pick and be forced to pay a fine.

The Knicks tampering case from the Jalen Brunson deal is something for fans to watch in the buildup to the 2022-2023 season. Training camp will begin in late September, which will be here quickly, so please stay tuned for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.