JUNE 30, 10:04 am: According to local reporters, The Heat have now revealed that they never planned to meet Brunson and will not be meeting with him today Ira Winderman, Tim Reynoldsand Anthony Chiang.
JUNE 29, 7:47 p.m.: Point Guard Jalen Brunson is scheduled to meet with curtsy, outsider and heat when the free agency opens on Thursday, sources say Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Haynes said the meetings will be held in New York, with the Knicks considered strong frontrunners to land the unrestricted free agent on a four-year deal close to $110 million.
Mavericks owner Mark CubanGM Nico Harrisonand head coach Jason Kid will attend the meeting, according to Haynes, as will the vice president of basketball operations Michael Finley and “maybe one or two” players, sources tell veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Twitter link). Stein reports (via twitter) that the Mavs are very pessimistic about persuading Brunson to re-sign, but the 25-year-old’s camp sought talks with the three teams before coming to a decision.
A league source told The New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy that the Mavericks have so far been unwilling to offer more than $106 million, with Brunson reportedly targeting $125 million. Haynes confirms Bondy’s report and explains that Dallas has offered Brunson a five-year, $106 million deal. So it sounds like he’s open to a slight discount per year ($125 million over five years vs. $110 million over four years). The Mavs are ready to go that high with his bird rights.
As Haynes notes, Miami’s only avenue to acquire Brunson would be via sign-and-trade as the team will not have the cap needed to sign him directly. Such an agreement would be difficult to enforce, as sign-and-trades would trigger a hard cap on the tax front, limiting Miami’s financial flexibility for the remainder of 2022-23. That’s one of the reasons Haynes calls Heat a “dark horse.”
Here are a few more notes on Brunson’s free agency:
- “At least one senior member of the Knicks” sees Brunson as a top 10 point guard in the NBA, reports Bondy. Given the huge supply the Knicks are reportedly poised to expand, it makes sense that Brunson would have fans in high places within the organization.
- In an appearance on NBA Today, ESPN’s Bobby Marks (video link) explains why a sign-and-trade between the Mavericks and the Knicks could make sense for both teams, assuming Brunson lands at New York.