Former NBA player Anthony Tolliver is pushing back against the narrative that New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson sacrificed more than $100 million when he signed his contract extension with the franchise.
With the Knicks in training camp ahead of the 2026-27 season and preparing to defend their NBA championship, Tolliver addressed Brunson's widely discussed contract decision during the latest episode of “To The Baha.” While acknowledging that Brunson left money on the table at the time of the deal, Tolliver argued the actual long-term financial sacrifice was significantly smaller than the commonly cited figure.
“Jalen Brunson, no disrespect to that situation, but if y'all do the math, looking at the actual math of what he gave up, not even close to 100 million dollars. Not even close,” Tolliver said. “It's more like 15 to 20, which is a lot of money.”
Brunson signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension with the Knicks in July 2024 rather than waiting until the following offseason, when he could have been eligible for a five-year, $269 million deal. The difference in guaranteed money was approximately $113 million, leading to the widespread characterization that Brunson sacrificed more than $100 million to give New York additional financial flexibility. The extension began with the 2025-26 season and included a player option in the final year.
Jalen Brunson's contract sacrifice helped Knicks build championship roster
However, Tolliver pointed to the structure and length of Brunson's extension as an important part of the equation. By signing the shorter deal, Brunson positioned himself to become eligible for another lucrative contract sooner than he would have under the longer contract available the following offseason.
Article Continues Below“But it's because when he did his extension, he did it for a certain amount of years, which he left 100 million dollars on the table of what he could have signed for, but on the back end, it actually made him eligible for earlier extensions that actually made more money,” Tolliver said.
At the time of the agreement, Brunson's contract structure put him in position to potentially recoup the difference through a future extension or contract, providing the basis for Tolliver's argument that the $113 million figure did not represent Brunson's true long-term financial sacrifice.
Regardless of the long-term financial implications, Brunson's extension provided New York with additional flexibility while constructing its championship roster.
The decision became an even bigger part of Brunson's Knicks legacy after New York captured its first NBA championship since 1973 during the 2025-26 season. Brunson led the way throughout the postseason and earned NBA Finals MVP honors after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games.
Now, Brunson and the Knicks enter the 2026-27 campaign attempting to become repeat champions. His contract remains an important part of New York's roster construction, even as Tolliver challenges the popular narrative surrounding just how much money the Knicks star actually sacrificed.