Jalen Brunson’s $104 million contract already is looking like a bargain for the Knicks, especially for a franchise that mostly has spent unwisely on free agents throughout its history.
Where do you think Brunson will eventually end up on this list of the best free-agent signings in New York sports over the past 25 years (1998-2023)?
1. Curtis Martin, Jets, 1998
Stolen from the Patriots after three seasons on a six-year $36 million deal, Martin averaged 1,288 rushing yards in his eight years with the Jets en route to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Curtis Martin AP
2. CC Sabathia, Yankees, 2009
The big-game lefty’s seven-year, $161 million deal immediately got the Bombers back on the World Series track in his first of 11 seasons in The Bronx.
CC Sabathia Bill Kostroun/New York Post
3. Hideki Matsui, Yankees, 2003
Initially signed to a bargain three-year deal worth $21 million, Matsui drove in at least 100 runs in four of first five seasons and earned World Series MVP honors in 2009.
4. Artemi Panarin, Rangers, 2019
The Russian winger has averaged 1.29 points per game over the first four seasons of a seven-year deal worth $81.5 million, including a career-best 96 in 2021-22.
5. Plaxico Burress, Giants, 2005
Inked to a six-year, $25 million deal to provide a No. 1 receiver for Eli Manning, Burress nabbed the go-ahead touchdown in Super Bowl XLII, even if his Giants tenure ended poorly with an incarceration on gun charges.
6. Max Scherzer, Mets, 2022
Signifying the ownership shift from the Wilpons to Steve Cohen, the three-time Cy Young winner’s three-year, $130 million contract was followed this winter by another massive short-term deal for Justin Verlander.
7. Carlos Beltran, Mets, 2005
Get over the called third strike against the Cardinals in the 2006 NLCS, Beltran was one of the best two-way position players in team history after landing a seven-year, $119 million deal.
Carlos Beltran AP
8. Kevin Mawae, Jets, 1998
The Jets made Mawae the highest-paid center in the NFL with a five-year, $17 million deal, and he was named first-team All-Pro five times from 1998-2005 on his way to the Hall of Fame.
9. Mike Mussina, Yankees, 2001
Moose falls into the category of those who failed to win a ring in The Bronx, but the Hall of Famer was a dependable righty for the Yanks after initially signing for six years and $88.5 million.
10. Kevin Durant, Nets, 2019
KD’s tenure in Brooklyn ended disastrously with his trade last week to Phoenix, but the superstar forward averaged 29.0 points per game in 129 games over his four-year $198 million megadeal.
Honorable mention: Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees; Antonio Pierce, Giants; Curtis Granderson, Mets; Orlando Hernandez, Yankees; Amar’e Stoudemire, Knicks; Gerrit Cole, Yankees; Marian Gaborik, Rangers; R.A. Dickey, Mets; Brian Rafalski, Devils; Julius Randle, Knicks.
(Note: We did not include undrafted free agents with no previous professional experience, such as Victor Cruz of the Giants).
Will Jalen Brunson make it?
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