The Knicks, Pacers and Pistons are among the teams expected to pursue Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson in free agency this summer, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
The Knicks, in particular, are looking for a starting point guard following the failed Kemba Walker experiment. But given their salary cap situation, they would likely need to work out a sign-and-trade arrangement to be able to land Brunson.
As an aside, Brunson played for Pacers coach Rick Carlisle when Carlisle was in Dallas. Along with that, the Pacers are likely to explore trades centered on veteran Malcolm Brodgon, a potential move that would open up a spot in the backcourt.
Meanwhile, the Pistons should have more available cap space than anyone this summer. “They reportedly like Brunson’s fit next to Cade Cunningham in an on and off-ball role, similar to the one Brunson has had next to Luka Doncic,” RealGM wrote.
That said, as we relayed earlier this week, the Mavs intend to hang on to (and pay) Brunson, so it may take a whale of deal to pry him lose in a sign-and-trade.
A league source who spoke to Mavs owner Mark Cuban told the New York Post’s Marc Berman that Brunson becoming available this summer seems fairly unlikely. Also, ESPN recently reported that Cuban and the Mavs have no intention of engaging in sign-and-trade talks when it comes to Brunson.
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