There are more than a few people who are saying the Sacramento Kings need to take a good look at the Knicks when it comes to implementing a rebuild. They're not wrong. Still, the Kings need their own Jalen Brunson, someone who puts winning a title over getting paid and leads by example.
When the Knicks decided to sign Brunson back in 2022, pretty much every talking head in sports called it a dumb move. All they saw was an undersized guard who didn't have the skill or gravity to lead a major franchise. The only one who supported him was Kendrick Perkins. Nice work, Big Perk.
Now, everyone except Perkins looks ridiculous because Brunson took the Knicks to the promised land for the first time in more than five decades. He didn't do it alone, of course. Brunson became the face of a major rebuild project that transformed the Knicks into a relevant championship team.
The front office brought in Brunson's Villanova brothers, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, while adding the versatile Karl-Anthony Towns, a two-way dynamo in OG Anunoby, and hometown hero Jose Alvarado. Head coach Mike Brown turned these guys into a team, and helped them find the next gear.
Sacramento has to find their own Brunson
Now, the Knicks' success in their rebuild over the past few years could be a blueprint for the Kings. What they lack to follow that path is their own face of the process, someone like Brunson. There are people who would suggest Keegan Murray, but he's not that guy. Well, at least not yet.
A major part of why the Knicks were able to do what they did was Brunson being willing to take a lot less money. He just completed the first year of a four-year deal with a player option worth nearly $157 million. But he left a reported $113 million on the table to give the Knicks front office flexibility.
Without room in the payroll, building and maintaining a championship roster would have been nearly impossible. Their starting five are basically locked in for two more seasons, putting a potential repeat on the table. That all starts with a star player making the title a priority over his own bank account.
Brunson isn't exactly hurting for money. He's averaging $39 million per year during this contract, and that doesn't account for endorsements, which will be flowing if they weren't before. Regardless, the Kings need an on-court leader with Brunson's mentality if they want this rebuild to work.
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