When Jalen Brunson accepted a four-year, $156.5 million extension with the New York Knicks on July 12, the basketball world was stunned.
Brunson, coming off a top-five finish in the 2023-24 MVP race and having led New York to playoff series victories in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2000, had agreed to take more than $100 million less than he could have by waiting to sign a five-year contract next summer.
The unprecedented decision could help New York, fresh off adding the fourth "Nova Knick" this summer with its blockbuster acquisition of Brooklyn Nets wing Mikal Bridges, keep what it hopes will be a championship-contending team together for the next several years. (The belief around the league is Bridges will follow Brunson's lead and sign a team-friendly extension in the fall or next offseason.)
But in the wake of Brunson's decision, there were two questions NBA team executives and agents posed for both New York and the league:
Will Brunson's extension decision start a trend of stars prioritizing roster building at the cost of significant finances in response to both the rapidly rising salary cap and the stringent apron rules in the league's new collective bargaining agreement?
And what does Brunson's new deal mean for Julius Randle, who on Saturday becomes eligible to sign a lucrative extension -- and whose upcoming negotiations in New York, team executives told ESPN, will be the ultimate case study under the CBA?
"Is he Jalen Brunson?" one Western Conference executive told ESPN when commenting if Randle would be willing to compromise on his next contract, "or Paul George?"