Despite reportedly taking meetings with multiple teams leading up to his free agency, newly-signed New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was set on playing in the Big Apple.
Although happy for Brunson, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said the 25-year-old never gave his former club a shot at retaining him.
"We really didn't get a chance to make an offer. It was Jalen's choice," Cuban told reporters, including New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy.
"We wanted him to stay, but he had his reason, and I respect that."
The New Jersey native joined the Knicks on the first day of free agency, signing a four-year, $104-million deal to return to the area where he grew up.
New York recently hired Brunson's father, Rick, a nine-year NBA veteran, as an assistant coach. Additionally, team president Leon Rose previously represented both Brunsons as their agent.
Cuban said "it's up to the (NBA)" to decide when reporters asked whether the close connections to the Knicks could be considered tampering.
The Mavericks selected Brunson with the third pick in the second round of the 2018 draft after a stellar college career at Villanova. He started 127 games over four seasons in Dallas, improving his point total in his last two seasons with the club.
The 6-foot-1 guard broke out in this year's playoffs, posting at least 23 points in each of the six games in Dallas' first-round win against the Utah Jazz. Brunson averaged 21.6 points over 18 playoff games in 2022.
