Jalen Brunson forfeits $113 in new Knicks deal — was it the right move?

This has been the summer of surprise for the New York Knicks. 

Following a disappointing conclusion to the 2024 campaign — a 130-109 loss to the Indiana Pacers in which Jalen Brunson broke his hand — morale has been on the up and up in the Big Apple.

The team swung and hit on a massive blockbuster trade to reunite Mikal Bridges with his Villanova buddies (Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo) and then followed that grand slam by re-signing OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212 million contract. 

The deal left Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau with a plethora of playmakers to fit in his new-look depth chart that projects to include Brunson, Bridges and Julius Randle in its starting lineup, with Hart and DiVincenzo serving as ready-made switchblades off the bench. 

Just this weekend, Brunson afforded the squad room for additional aid on the roster, passing up $113 million to make a team-friendly four-year, $156 million deal. Brunson did so with clear intentions to help New York add to its starry roster, and it was a selfless move that Colin Cowherd absolutely loved.

"Jalen Brunson said ‘I love New York,'" Cowherd exclaimed Monday on "The Herd." "'I love my teammates. I love my coach. I love this city, and I think we have a chance to be great over the next four-to-five years.' … He still made $157 million, but he gave up more money, over $100 million, than any NBA player ever has. It should be noted: Tom Brady gave up tens of millions of dollars to be the GOAT. Tom’s not the GOAT because of what he made. Kirk Cousins, end of his contract in Atlanta will have made more. When you go to Canton or Springfield, nobody ever says as you go to the podium ‘you were the highest-paid guy in 2016 for a month.’ They say you were great. 

"And