Knicks’ Jalen Brunson undergoes hand surgery before huge contract decision
Jalen Brunson’s offseason started with a surgery.
The Knicks’ start point guard underwent surgery on his fractured left hand and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks, the team announced Wednesday morning.
Bojan Bogdanovic — who has one year left on his contract — also underwent surgery on his left wrist and will also be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks.
The Knicks previously announced in April that Bogdanovic would be undergoing surgery on his left foot after suffering a season-ending injury to that foot in the first round against the 76ers.
Brunson fractured his hand during Sunday’s Game 7 loss to the Pacers, robbing him of the chance to attempt to lead the Knicks to a comeback win.
He suffered the injury in the third quarter while trying to swipe the ball, but instead connected with Tyrese Hailburton’s leg. Brunson later missed the entire fourth quarter.
His season ended with him scoring 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting in a disappointing performance in the 130-109 rout.
For the season, Brunson finished with a career-high 28.7 points per game. He upped his average to 32.4 points in the postseason, including five 40-point outbursts.
This surgery comes before a critical offseason for both Brunson and the team.
Brunson, 27, has established himself as the lead option on a championship-caliber team, and it’s now up to Leon Rose to decide how to best complement the Villanova product.
The Knicks could look to add another star or hope for better injury luck and run it back with the same core. The team had a fantastic record with OG Anunoby on the court.
Brunson is also eligible for an extension, but must decide whether to take the money now or wait for a bigger payday after next season.
He can earn roughly $157 million over four years (approximately $39.25 million per year) if he pounces this summer versus $258 million over five years ($51.6 million per season) after next year.
For Bogdanovic, there’s uncertainty if he’ll be a Knick next season.
He could return as a capable, veteran bench piece or could be included in a trade to help offset salaries since he carries a cap hit of slightly more than $19.033 million next year.
He averaged just 10.4 points after coming to the Knicks in a midseason trade, a steep drop from the 20.2 he averaged with the Pistons although that can be credited to a change in role.
Bogdanovic provided solid outside shooting during the playoffs, hitting 6 of 15 3’s in the first three games, including a 13-point showing in Game 1.
He suffered his season-ending injury in Game 4 shortly after entering.
