“Well, everybody wants shots, everybody wants minutes, but that’s not the truth”- Former NBA champion says he helped Jalen Brunson to sign contract with Knicks

For Jason Kidd, the opportunity for Jalen Brunson to grow as a player is a huge accomplishment. The Dallas Mavericks coach shared how he helped the young guard attract the big contract that he signed with the New York Knicks.

The upcoming episode of the "All The Smoke" podcast is exciting for Mavericks fans as Kidd will be featured as the guest. In a short clip from the podcast, Kidd opened up about Brunson's departure. Statistically, the young guard was vital to their success last season and had a breakout year.

In his second postseason action, Brunson averaged 21.6 points, 3.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds. Due to this, he was able to get a huge payday from the Knicks when they signed him to a four-year $104 million deal.

As his former coach, Kidd was delighted to see Brunson get a huge deal. He relayed his thoughts on the matter with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.

"I'm happy that he got paid," Kidd said. "I love when I can help people get paid.

"I'll tell a player on (the) first day of (training) camp, 'Hey, tell me what you want.' Well, everybody wants shots, everybody wants minutes. But that's not the truth. They wanna get paid, and they wanna play."

Kidd continued:

"I only wanna put people in a position to be successful, that's it. ... For him to go to New York to get paid, to have the opportunity to run his own team. I'm happy for him."

Clearly, the appreciation that Kidd has for Jalen Brunson is exceptional. With Brunson's exit, the Mavericks worked hard to give their star Luka Doncic the help he needed. From trading for Christian Wood to signing some veteran players, the Mavs have been busy this offseason.

Jalen Brunson's addition to the New York Knicks can help them get back to postseason action

The New York Knicks received quite the bashing when they signed Jalen Brunson on a big deal. But that doesn't mean that the signing was terrible. If anything, it showed people that New York is willing to do anything to return to the playoffs.

Looking at the Knicks' roster, they don't have much depth or experience. The team does have a few veteran players. Guys like Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier are seasoned players that could help guide the developing players. Additionally, Fournier has played great for France in FIBA EuroBasket 2022.

Brunson doesn't have much experience, especially in the playoffs. In his young four-year career, he has only been in the playoffs twice. The farthest that he's gotten was in the Conference finals last season. Still, that doesn't mean that his experience should be disregarded. In fact, the action that he got should fuel the Knicks to play hard.

There are a ton of questions as to how the Knicks are going to fare against the other East teams. Who knows, maybe Jalen Brunson can carry them back to the playoffs.