While trying to explain why his team became an utter disappointment, Mavs owner Mark Cuban took aim at Jalen Brunson’s father.
Cuban told reporters that his contract negotiations with Brunson turned sour last season “when the parents got involved,” according to ESPN. It was a reference to Rick Brunson, now an assistant with the Knicks.
Jalen Brunson left the Mavericks in free agency to join his father with the Knicks, signing a four-year, $104 million contract. His absence in Dallas is frequently cited as the main reason for the team’s downfall after advancing to the conference finals.
Clearly, Cuban remains bitter.
The owner also refuted reports that the Mavericks could’ve signed Brunson before the trade deadline last year for three years, $55 million. He repeated that Dallas was never given an opportunity to re-sign Brunson in the summer.
The Knicks were cited for tampering with Brunson and docked a second-round pick, a minuscule punishment considering the point guard lifted them to the franchise’s best record in a decade.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, entered Wednesday outside of the play-in tournament despite their dynamic backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.
In a twist, the Knicks own the Mavericks’ first-round pick this year — a product of the 2019 Kristaps Porzingis trade — but it’s top-10 protected and probably won’t convey if Dallas maintains its bottom-10 record.
Knicks scout Tim Hardaway, whose son Tim Hardaway Jr. plays for the Mavericks, noted Cuban’s team is missing a “leader.”
“They’re missing a leader out there. Luka is not a leader, Kyrie is not a leader. Jalen Brunson was a leader,” Hardaway Sr. said on FS1. “A leader shows by example too, by playing defense. When he says something, he does it also, and thats what a leader is. And like I said, those two guys are not leaders, they’re complimentary, dominant great basketball players. Great scorers.”
