NEW YORK — It was well worth the tampering.
Following a lengthy investigation into the Jalen Brunson signing, the Knicks lost their 2025 second-round pick because, according to the NBA, they “engaged in free agency discussions prior to the date when such discussions were permitted.”
In other words, they pursued Brunson before he was technically a free agent and got off with a slap on the wrist. The punishment is standard for free-agency tampering — the Bucks, Heat and Sixers were previously docked a second-round pick per player — and hardly a deterrent.
