Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison was asked about the league’s ongoing cheating investigation of Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. The NBA executive wasn’t fazed.
“I’m not worried about it at all,” says Harrison. “Honestly, it’s not even worth thinking about because we’re focused on our team. It doesn’t really matter what they do after the fact, does it?”
The Knicks are being investigated by the league to determine whether they contacted Brunson before free agency.
According to a few NBA betting sites, the Mavericks have top 10 odds to win the championship in 2023. Will they return to the Western Conference Finals this season? Some sports books are waiting for you.
Mavs GM Nico Harrison is on @dfwticket On the Knicks/Jalen Brunson cheating question: “I’m not worried about it at all. … Honestly, we’re so focused on our team that it’s not worth even thinking about it. Do it anyway, right?”
— Calli Caplan (@CalliCaplan) October 12, 2022
Teams are not allowed to negotiate a contract with a player or agent before 6 p.m. on June 30. That same evening, Brunson signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks. His deal includes 24,960,001 player options for the 2025-26 season and a 15% trade bonus.
During the offseason, the Rockets traded Christian Wood to the Mavericks for Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Marcus Chris and Wendall Moore Jr.
Moore Jr. was then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In July, former Phoenix Suns center Javale McGee signed a three-year, $17.2 million contract with Dallas.
Mavericks unfazed by Jaylen Brunson, Knicks crippling investigation.
With the Mavs having Josh Green, Luka Doncic, Jaden Hardy, Frank Ntilikina and Spencer Dinwiddie, fans believe the backcourt will struggle to fill the void. Doncic can only carry a team for so long.
“I’m not worried about having a third quarterback,” Harrison told 96.7 The Ticket. “We were rolling before we got Spencer, and it was just the two ball handlers, if you will. The magic happened before the trade.
In September, the Mavericks were able to trade Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. However, Jazz executive Danny Ainge offered the Cleveland Cavaliers the best trade package. Therefore, the Mavericks front office swears by this opportunity.
Preseason Game 3 tonight. pic.twitter.com/xl9VNW1TuX
— New York Knicks (@nyknicks) October 12, 2022
Team president Leon Rose is Brunson’s former agent in connection with the Knicks cheating scandal. And Jalen’s father, Rick Brunson, serves as an assistant coach with New York.
Kicks head coach Tom Thibodeau had Rick on his staff when he coached the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. Their relationship adds weight to the question.
Knicks Executive Vice President William Wesley watched the Mavericks play the Utah Jazz in the first round. He was seen sitting courtside in Game 1 at the American Airlines Center.
Additionally, on draft night, Rose and GM Scott Perry made moves to clear cap space. They traded Alec Burks and Nerlen Noel to the Detroit Pistons. Additionally, Kemba Walker and Jalen Duren were also committed to the Pistons.
Of course, the NBA is probing the Philadelphia 76ers to see if there was any disruption in the re-signing of James Harden and the additions of PJ Tucker and Daniel House Jr.
