The NBA has contacted the Knicks recently about the promotion of assistant coach Rick Brunson and whether it violates league salary cap rules, SNY has learned.
The Knicks on Monday night called the NBA’s questioning of the matter “harassment” and “offensive.”
‘‘In response to the rumored NBA investigation into Rick Brunson’s promotion, Brunson took (former associate head coach) Johnnie Bryant’s place and assumed the same salary as Bryant. It’s offensive that anyone would claim Rick didn’t deserve the promotion,” MSG Sports said in a statement. “Rick has done a tremendous job and will continue to do so. We see this as more harassment of the Knicks due to our opposition to certain NBA matters.”
Rick Brunson was promoted in the 2024 offseason; his son, Jalen Brunson, signed a contract extension in the same offseason that was seen as team-friendly because Jalen could have made more money as a free agent in 2025.
The insinuation is that Rick Brunson’s salary is compensation for the salary that Jalen Brunson passed on by signing a four-year, $156 million extension last summer.
In the 2025 offseason, the star point guard would’ve been eligible to sign a $270 million max-contract in free agency.
It’s worth noting that Rick Brunson’s new contract, per NBA coaching sources, is within industry standards for top assistant coaches.
Brunson played nine season in the NBA. His coaching career includes stops in Charlotte, the University of Virginia, the University of Hartford and three stints with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks hired Brunson in the 2022 offseason, the same offseason they signed Jalen.
The NBA investigated the Knicks for potential rule-breaking after they signed Brunson.
In Dec. 2022, the NBA said its investigation concluded that the Knicks violated “league rules governing the timing of this season’s free agency discussions,” and they stripped the organization of their 2025 second-round pick for the infraction.
More recently, Knicks governor James Dolan has criticized the league and NBA commissioner Adam Silver on several issues, as MSG Sports notes in the statement. Dolan took issue with the NBA’s transparency in a letter sent to the league’s Board of Governors in September, according to ESPN. Dolan also criticized the league’s revenue sharing policy in a separate letter, the network reported.
