Mark Cuban Apologizes to Jalen Brunson for “Jab” During 2022 Free Agency Negotiations

Jalen Brunson bet on himself when he decided to leave the Dallas Mavericks to sign with the New York Knicks in 2022. Mark Cuban and the Dallas front office offered him a paltry 4-year/ $55 million deal. A disgruntled Brunson decided to take his talents to the East Coast, where he really established himself as an All-NBA player.

During an appearance on the Roommates Show, Cuban, quite unexpectedly, issued an apology to the Knicks’ superstar guard.

Cuban and Brunson discussed the failed free agency negotiations that took place back in 2022. Their back and forth was productive as they finally confessed how they really felt at the time as they delved into what happened behind the scenes.

Mark congratulated his franchise’s former player and wished him well for his future endeavors, pointing out how he has brought some limelight back into the MSG. Seeing how the two have stayed in touch even after the strained ending in Dallas, Brunson felt it was time to let Mark know what stood out during those talks.

“Only thing I didn’t like…When Mark said ‘When the parents got involved…things got messy’…That was a little jab––”

Before JB could go any further, Cuban interrupted him to clear what his stance was back then.

“Wasn’t really. I didn’t want to go there here…No reason for us to talk about any of that, but it wasn’t just a jab JB, for real.”

As Brunson mentioned how he felt a certain way regardless of what Mark meant, the billionaire owner of the Mavs went on to apologize to the All-Star guard.

“I apologize…That wasn’t the intention. But it was hard to deal with…it was a unique negotiation.”

Brunson felt that Mark took a shot at his parents getting involved in the contract negotiations, making it messy. However, Cuban’s intention was not to take a shot at Jalen’s parents, but instead he meant that these contract extension talks should only be between the player, his agent, and the team.

Regardless of how things went down, Mark still apologized and wished Brunson well once again, urging him to stay in touch in the future.

Mark Cuban pinned the blame on Brunson’s father

Many people believe that the Dallas Mavericks fumbled Brunson’s contract extension back in 2022 free agency. JB went on to average nearly 30 points per game for the Knicks while also finishing top five in MVP voting.

Now, according to SportsIllustrated, the Dallas Mavericks’ owner blamed Brunson’s parents for the negotiations falling apart. 

“Where it went south was when Rick took over, when the parent took over, or parents took over…I mean, there was no negotiation. They didn’t give us a number…That’s the way it works. Right? You have a relationship with the agent and they want to at least give you a chance because you helped develop the player. You had him for four years. OK, let’s work together.”

Unfortunately for Dallas at the time, Brunson left the Mavs and went on to become a star in New York. The Mavericks did luck out, however, as they snagged Kyrie Irving at the 2023 trade deadline to pair with their star sensation, Luka Doncic. So, in the end, things worked out for both parties and the strained relationship doesn’t seem to be strained anymore.