The New York Knicks landed their top free agent target in Jalen Brunson. He was linked to a move to NYC to join his father, and Knicks officials even attended his playoff games while he was still playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
Needless to say, that prompted plenty of suspicion around the league, especially after he signed such a lucrative contract.
That's why the NBA has officially opened an investigation regarding whether they tampered to sign him or not, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports:
"The NBA has begun an investigation into the New York Knicks for alleged tampering regarding free agent pickup Jalen Brunson," Haynes reported. "NBA will look into whether New York Knicks made contact with Jalen Brunson prior to the start of the free agency period."
It's highly likely that the Knicks tampered to get a deal done. Nonetheless, Mavs owner Mark Cuban thinks they did nothing wrong:
“No! They were perfect. I saw nothing wrong at all,” Cuban said, per ClutchPoints. “That’s just the business. That’s just the way it works. That’s not my job to determine, that’s up to the NBA. It is what it is, it’s done.”
Brunson claimed he wanted to stay in Dallas but 'business' came knocking. So, regardless of all the rumors, he affirms there's no bad blood between him and the organization:
“There’s no bad blood at all for me," Brunson told The Dub Network. "No bad blood. I’m gonna root for them, I’m gonna be happy for them [and] for their success."
Brunson was deemed as the most overpaid player of the offseason, with some stating that he only got that massive deal because of his ties to the Knicks. Still, he's unbothered by criticism and will stay focused on what has taken him this far:
“It’s impossible not to see it,” Brunson said on The Old Man & the Tree. “Look, I’m honored I have gotten this opportunity, to be in that club making whatever number it is. But I think for me, no matter what the number is, nothing changes for me. (...) I’ve always been that way. I don’t plan on changing. It didn’t bother me. I’m going to be the same person no matter what happens, no matter what anyone says. I’m going to be me.”
Now, he'll have to prove that he was worth every dime.
