To give the roster financial flexibility, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has agreed to a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension ($113 million less than he could sign in a year), his agent Sam Rose told ESPN.

In an unprecedented financial concession to provide flexibility to the competing franchise's roster, All-NBA guard New York Knicks, Galen Brunsonagreed to a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension ($113 million less guaranteed than he could sign a year from now), his agent Sam Rose of CAA told ESPN on Friday.

The agreement, which begins in 2025-26, will cost Galen Brunson Rose said the $37.1 million over the next three years, with a player option for a fourth year, would leave Brunson able to recoup $113 million in four years, with a maximum of $323 million in 2028 or a new five-year, $418 million deal in 2029.

Galen BrunsonThe 27-year-old became eligible to negotiate and sign the maximum extension on Friday.

While there is an inherent risk of injury and unexpected complications that come with the decision, Galen Brunson From delaying his most lucrative NBA payday, his priority remains maximizing his career with the franchise's most talented and deep roster since the 1990s.

The implications of Brunson opting for a four-year, $156.5 million maximum contract instead of a five-year, $269.1 million contract in 2025 are enormous for the franchise. Nix To keep this team together and continue the moves in the team to close the gap in the championship. The Brunson agreement keeps Nix Outside the second tier of the salary cap, a punitive cap that severely limits a team's ability to make trades, sign players and use draft picks.

Study Galen Brunson Championship organizations and franchise stars (Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees) gave him a blueprint for MVP-level players who structured contracts to give their teams better chances for sustained title runs.

Access Galen Brunson to Nix With a four-year, $104 million free agent contract signed two years ago, he was one of the league’s most transformative acquisitions of the past decade. After starting his career as a backup guard with the Dallas Mavericks, Brunson has become one of the NBA’s most influential players and leaders. Brunson had his best NBA season in 2023-24, earning All-NBA honors and finishing in the top five in MVP voting. He averaged 28.7 points per game and scored or assisted on a franchise-record 3,481 points. Brunson, who had 11 40-point games in the regular season, became the first Knicks player with 40 points and five assists in four consecutive playoff games, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The Knicks are supposed to get better (and maybe more expensive) this offseason. New York signed OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million deal and traded Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges for the remaining two years, $48 million, of his contract.

Brunson’s ties to the Knicks run deep and reflect his faith in the organization. Leon Rose, the Knicks’ president of basketball operations, was Brunson’s agent before he joined the team in 2020. Brunson’s father, Rick, is a Knicks assistant coach and was a longtime client of Rose’s during his agent days. The Knicks have surrounded Brunson with a star-studded group of former Villanova national championship teammates to create a wonderful synergy on and off the court.

In the modern era, discounts given to NBA players to allow for salary cap flexibility have included San Antonio's Tim Duncan, who accepted $11 million less than the cap in 2007 to retain Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, and Golden State's Kevin Durant, who took $10 million less to keep Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala in 2017. LeBron James took $2.6 million less on a two-year, $101 million deal this offseason to avoid a second-round NBA draft pick with the Los Angeles Lakers.

This time, Brunson is taking a $37 million loss that comes with a total $113 million at stake in chasing the title with the Knicks.

ESPN's Bobby Marks contributed to this report.