The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to let Jalen Brunson leave in free agency has become one of the NBA’s most scrutinized front-office mistakes, and former owner Mark Cuban now acknowledges the organization failed to recognize what Brunson would become.
Speaking recently on the “House of Haymaker” podcast, Cuban offered a candid explanation for why Dallas did not secure Brunson long-term before he joined the New York Knicks in the summer of 2022.
“It was really, really simple. We didn’t see JB as what he would become,” Cuban said, via New York Post. “We were trying to get a star to put next to Luka, and JB’s star had not risen yet.”
At the time, the assessment was understandable from a statistical perspective. During his first three NBA seasons, Brunson averaged 9.3, 8.2 and 12.6 points per game while primarily serving as a reserve. Even in 2021-22, his final season in Dallas, he averaged a career-high 16.3 points and 4.8 assists across 79 games.
The turning point came during the 2022 playoffs. With Doncic sidelined early in Dallas’ first-round series against the Utah Jazz, Brunson emerged as a primary offensive creator. He averaged 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 18 playoff games that postseason while helping the Mavericks reach the Western Conference Finals.
Cuban referenced that stretch when discussing Brunson’s development, noting that the guard “showed that star potential when Luka got hurt” and won critical games against Utah. By then, however, Dallas had already missed opportunities to sign Brunson to a more team-friendly extension.
What followed has transformed the decision into a cautionary tale. Since arriving in New York, Brunson has developed into one of the league’s premier guards. He averaged 24.0 points and 6.2 assists in his first Knicks season, then elevated those numbers to 28.7 points and 6.7 assists in 2023-24 while earning All-NBA Second Team honors and finishing fifth in MVP voting.
Brunson remained among the NBA’s elite over the next two seasons, averaging 26.0 points and 7.3 assists in 2024-25 and another 26.0 points and 6.8 assists in 2025-26. His impact extended well beyond the regular season. Through four years with New York, he averaged 29.5 points per game in the playoffs and consistently delivered as the centerpiece of the franchise’s postseason runs.
The ultimate validation arrived this month. Brunson led the Knicks to a 53-29 regular-season record, the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the franchise’s first NBA championship in more than five decades. New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the 2026 NBA Finals, with Brunson averaging 28.4 points and 6.1 assists throughout the postseason. He was named Finals MVP after guiding the Knicks through series victories over Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cleveland and San Antonio.
Meanwhile, Dallas endured a disastrous 2025-26 campaign, finishing 26-56 and 12th in the Western Conference.
