Pablo Torre isn’t ready to sound the alarm on the New York Knicks’ business with Jalen Brunson.
Torre, whose reporting led to the infamous NBA investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard,
appeared on “The Joe Budden Podcast” this week to address the speculation about Brunson and his deal with New York.
The investigative journalist acknowledged that while there are questions surrounding how Brunson landed in New York with the Knicks, he doesn’t believe it mirrors the serious violations he uncovered with the Clippers.
“What I suspect happened with Jalen Brunson is fundamentally different from what’s happened with Aspiration,” Torre said, referencing the Clippers’ alleged use of a $28 million no-show endorsement deal tied to Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard’s relative Uncle Dennis. “I don’t have proof it happened. All I have is the theory I laid out.”
Torre pointed out that Knicks president Leon Rose, a former player agent at CAA, has long-standing ties to Brunson’s father, Rick Brunson. No need to mention, Rick joined the Knicks coaching staff just before Jalen signed an at-the-time-considerd-over-market four-year, $104 million deal in 2022, and stayed within the staff after Tom Thibodeau’s firing last summer.
“When he signed that deal, I was like, he’s a Honda Civic. Stable, reliable, trustworthy but not a superstar, not a luxury vehicle,” Torre said. “Purely theoretically, (the Knicks) could pay him a lot of different ways through emplooyees—namely his dad, who is already on the payroll—it wouldn’t be complicated. But I don’t know what they’re paying Rick Brunson.”
A few years after Brunson arrived as a free agent from the Dallas Mavericks, an with the guard already established as a bonafide NBA superstar, the Knicks inked the point guard to a discount deal valued at $156 million over four years with a relatively low average cap hit of $39 million per season. For context, Brunson’s 2025-26 salary of $34.9 million ranks just 46th league-wide.
“My suspicion is, (the Brunson-Knicks situation) is not Aspiration,” Torre said. “I have a hard time thinking that exists anywhere else.”
While noting that coaching and front-office salaries aren’t capped or made public, hinting at that as a possible way for under-the-table payments reaching players’ pockets, Torre made it clear he hasn’t found anything concrete.
“If someone gave me a tip and said, ‘Look into this thing with Jalen Brunson,’ and I started and I found something, I’d follow it to the logical conclusion,” Torre said.
Earlier this year, Torre had teased the possibility of deeper reporting on Brunson’s deal.
“It’s funny, my tip line has never been more used by enemies of Jalen Brunson,” Torre said appearing on “The Dan Patrick Show” last September.
After Brunson left over $100 million on the table by signing an early extension rather than waiting for a $270 million max contract, some people began speculating whether additional incentives were involved.
“Well, look, how he arrived at the Knicks—this is where I have to defer to the reporting I may or may not do on this, certainly was interesting, right?” Torre said. “Like, OK, that’s a pretty good deal for the Knicks. Anyway, I don’t want to get ahead of myself in terms of that.”
Torre admitted that New Yorkers are keeping him straight when they cross paths with the journalist on the streets of Manhattan.
“Suddenly people on the street are like, ‘You touched Jalen Brunson, I’m gonna—'” Torre said. “Lay off Jalen Brunson. Stay away from him, he’s our beautiful, large-adult son.”
As for now, Torre has no accusations to make against the Knicks.
“I’ve been shocked at how often I start digging and there is something. Either I’m good at this, or the world is very dirty.”
