When Jalen Brunson signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension with the New York Knicks in July 2024, it caught almost everyone by surprise. Instead of waiting for a bigger cheque, the 2026 Finals MVP reportedly left around $113 million in guaranteed money on the table. That in turn gave the Knicks more financial flexibility to build a championship calibre roster around him. Two years later, that decision appears to have paid off on both sides. 

Reports now suggest that Brunson is expected to get a max extension worth around $300 million next summer.

“Jalen Brunson is going to come get all of his money,” ESPN senior NBA writer Vince Goodwill mentioned on the Hoop Collective. “Every bit that he.. I won’t say he sacrificed. He signed a year early, right? He signed a year early. He could have signed for a hundred million dollars more by signing later. Every dollar of that what 280 or 300 million that he’s supposed to get next summer, he’s going to get all of that.”

Goodwill’s comments came after Jalen Brunson led the Knicks to the 2026 NBA championship, earning NBA Finals MVP honors. He was under contract through the 2024-25 season after signing a four-year, $104 million deal in 2022. Because of NBA extension rules, his options were reportedly to either sign immediately (2024) on a four-year, $156.5 million deal or wait until 2025, when he would have been eligible for a five-year deal worth around $269 million if he earned All-NBA honors again.

According to multiple reports, the decision wasn’t made because he undervalued himself. It was about helping the Knicks build a championship roster. By signing early, New York gained flexibility to trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, retain OG Anunoby and stay in a better position under the NBA’s restrictive second-apron rules. That flexibility helped position the Knicks to win their first NBA title in more than five decades. Brunson’s agent, Sam Rose, later explained that the decision was calculated and not emotional.

“It was an opportunity for him to put himself in a position to maximize the chance of winning.”

Rose added that Brunson understood exactly how much money he was leaving on the table before agreeing to the extension.

Jalen Brunson reveals the real reason he didn’t wait for a bigger payday

Most of the conversations around Brunson’s contract have been centred on the money he gave up and the sacrifice he made to help the Knicks. But when asked about that decision, he offered a more personal perspective. 

“Everyone looks at it as leaving money on the table. And while it is, to a certain degree… the most I could sign for at the time was the 156. If I waited a year, it would have been about a hundred more.” He then revealed what drove the decision. “But the average career is about four years in the NBA. Having that uncertainty of betting on yourself… you don’t know.”

That mirrors what he has said in previous interviews about the dangers of waiting for a larger payday.