It was the final nail in the coffin of the Knicks playoff run. Indiana was already having a historic shooting night in Game 7, but when news came out of the Knicks locker room that Jalen Brunson had fractured his left hand, dreams of a comeback faded.
Now, the Knicks’ point guard has undergone surgery on that hand, the team announced.
Jalen Brunson underwent successful surgery on his left hand. He will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) May 22, 2024
We don’t have the details on the surgery yet, but that turnaround time means Brunson should be 100% and ready to go by training camp next fall.
The Knicks also announced that Bojan Bogdanovic underwent surgery on his left wrist, he also will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks.
New York heads into an offseason where, on July 13, they can and will offer Brunson a max contract extension of four years, $156 million. If Brunson declines that, then declines his player option for 2025-26, he becomes a free agent next summer who can re-sign with the Knicks for five years, around $270 million (the exact numbers will depend on the salary cap for that season). While there is an argument to be made for an undersized guard like Brunson taking the security of an extension this summer (and rumors he might), it’s hard to imagine he’s going to leave more than $110 million on the table (to help the Knicks out). Most likely, Brunson grabs the bag.
New York has several contracts to shore up this offseason including OG Anunoby, who likely will opt out and get a new contract worth more than $30 million a season (nobody around the league thinks he’s leaving New York). Isaiah Hartenstein also is a free agent but due to Early Bird Rights the most the Knicks can offer him is four years, $72.5 million. It’s very possible another team looking for a center on the free agent market comes in over the top and offers more (north of $80 million for four years). New York may lose Hartenstein the exact way Denver lost Bruce Brown last summer.
