BREAKING NEWS: Jalen Brunson agrees to $156.5million four-year extension with the Knicks amid extra $113million in 2025.

Knicks player Jalen Brunson has decided to extend his contract with the organization for four years at a cost of $156.5 million; he may not be able to sign a max deal next season as a free agency.

According to ESPN, the 27-year-old point guard’s new contract will start in 2025–2026 and feature a player option after the third season, when Brunson will turn 31.

Brunson inked a four-year, $104 million contract with New York back in 2022. This past season, he was chosen an All-Star for the first time in his career.

Had he waited to be eligible for a five-year, maximum contract estimated to be worth $269 million, he could have signed a deal worth roughly $270 million with the team or another franchise.

But considering Brunson’s connections to the franchise, his standing inside it, and his appeal to Knicks supporters, his contract doesn’t come as a surprise.

Rick Brunson, the father of the player, assists Tom Thibodeau as a coach, and Leon Rose, the Knicks president, has been a family friend for a long time.

In the Knicks rotation, Brunson also had three college teammates from Villanova, where they shared an NCAA Championship: Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVicenzo, and Josh Hart.

Hart, a different Knicks guard, seemed to weigh in on the announcement of Brunson’s extension when he wrote, “Build him a statue,” on X.

After a breakout season that included career highs in scoring (28.7 points per game), assists (6.7 per game), and 3-pointers made (211), Brunson is wrapping up a six-year NBA career. His percentage from beyond the arc was 40.1%.

Furthermore, in addition to receiving his first All-Star nomination, Brunson was selected for the All-NBA second team and placed fifth in the 2023–24 NBA Most Valuable Player voting.

Over the course of six seasons, he has played for the Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks (2018–22), averaging 16.9 points, 4.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 48.9 percent shooting from the field, including 39.1 percent from close range.