Mavs owner Mark Cuban condemns Jalen Brunson’s father for player’s exit: ‘Things went south when the parents got involved’

Ever since Jalen Brunson left for New York, there’s been quite the resentment by the Dallas fans over the real reasons behind his departure. Now that he’s become one of the most influential players in the league, leading the Knicks to playoffs, and the Mavericks are on the verge of missing out on the postseason, there’s no doubt about the point guard’s impact on his former team.

After four years with the Texan squad, Brunson averaged 11.9 points and 3.7 assists per match. However, it wasn’t until his breakout season in 2021/22 when he achieved the best stats of his career (16.3 points per game and 4.8 assists, at the time) that he realized he needed to take his basketball to a new promising court.

Unfortunately for Dallas, they didn’t see the potential in Brunson to offer him a long-term contract, even though it was discussed in many occasions. As the Knicks finally landed him a four-year $104 million deal to return to his hometown, the Mavs owner Mark Cuban now says that the player’s father, Rick, is the one to blame.

Mark Cuban says the Mavs never had a chance to extend Jalen Brunson…

There are multiple reports that contradict that. #MFFL pic.twitter.com/UvjhcT27qR

— MFFL (@Mavs_FFL) April 5, 2023

“Things went south when the parents got involved,” Cuban told ESPN’s Tim McMahon, even though there are numerous reports that suggest this is a huge contradiction, as even Jalen said he wanted to stay.

Curiously, Rick Brunson signed a contract as an assistant with the New York team back in June 2022, and no less than a month later his son Jalen was putting on a Knicks jersey for the first time. Even though the NBA began an investigation over tampering during the negotiations, it was eventually ruled out since the team didn’t violate any league rules.

There is no doubt that the 26-year-old is playing the best basketball of his career in his new home, averaging 24 points per contest and shooting an efficient 41.6% from beyond the arc. Also, his whole team has thrived in his presence, as the Knicks stand 5th in the Eastern Conference.

After Tuesday’s practice in Texas, Mavericks star Luka Dončić told reporters that the team misses Brunson’s presence “a lot.”

Brunson later admitted he would’ve signed for Dallas for almost half of what the Knicks offered him

According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, the 26-year-old said last month in an interview he desired to stay for the long haul with the Mavericks.

“Prior to the 2021-22 season, he was eligible for a four-year, $55.5 million extension. It was an offer Brunson’s camp would have accepted if the Mavericks made it,” the journalist wrote. “But the Mavericks resisted.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKx_Y62OpY

Brunson remembered how the negotiations actually played out. “There were two times that I thought we had offers on the table before the season, and then around, I think December or January, they looked the other way,” Brunson said. “They had every right in the world to do so. I don’t blame them for making any business decisions. That’s on them.”

“I wanted that role of being with the Mavericks for the long haul of my career,” the point guard admitted. “I truly loved that place.”