Josh Hart Claps Back at Draymond Green for Dissing Jalen Brunson’s $113 Million Pay Cut

Josh Hart responded to Draymond Green's resurfaced comments from 2024 where he criticized Jalen Brunson for taking a pay cut.

Josh Hart Claps Back at Draymond Green for Dissing Jalen Brunson’s $113 Million Pay Cut

Josh Hart and Draymond Green (Image credits - Firstsportz)

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart have reached the pinnacle of the NBA world. The two stars have been on cloud nine ever since their historic championship run this year. They achieved history together after leading the New York Knicks to their first championship in 53 years.

The Knicks were almost flawless in their title run. After going 2-1 down to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, the Knicks went on a 13-match win streak as they clean swept the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers in the next two rounds before taking out the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the Finals.

Brunson was the star of the playoffs as he lifted the Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP awards. However, an old clip from 2024 has resurfaced where Draymond Green criticized Brunson for taking a pay cut then.

It’s the New York Knicks, bro. They can afford it. You ain’t got to take no discount for them to get paid. He’s the top guy. Let Josh Hart or somebody else take less. They’re in my role. Guess what, Steph Curry ain’t taking a penny less. And neither did Klay Thompson ain’t take a penny less. For this to work, somebody has to. And I didn’t even expect them to take a penny less. I don’t know what he’s doing. I’m still happy for him though. But that’s $100 million.

Draymond Green on Club 520 in 2024

Jalen Brunson surprised everyone when he signed a four-year, $156.5 million deal with the Knicks in 2024. He was eligible for a $269 million contract but decided to take a pay cut to allow the front office to spend big on building a championship roster.

However, Draymond Green was one of the many who critiqued Brunson’s decision. The 2026 Finals MVP is used to the criticism but has responded to it in a fine way after winning the title. In the end, things worked out as the Knicks were able to build a championship roster with Brunson leading the way.

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Josh Hart fired back at Draymond Green for calling out Jalen Brunson

It has been two years since Green made those comments about Brunson. The Knicks have come a long way since. Last year, they reached the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Indiana Pacers in six games. After winning the title, Brunson and Hart made sure that all their critics apologized to them for their poor takes.

The main reason why Green’s comments resurfaced across social media is that Hart responded to the clip and came to his teammate’s defense. He wrote on X:

We got to normalize grown men not counting other peoples pockets.

Josh Hart on X

Josh Hart played a crucial role in helping the Knicks go all the way this year. Green has always been an advocate for players getting the most out of the teams that pay them, but Hart had none of it when Green suggested that the forward should take a pay cut instead.

Jalen Brunson urged to take $300 million contract extension next summer

Brunson is more than just a hero in New York after his performances in the playoffs this year. He may already be regarded as the greatest player in franchise history as he has united the city like never before.

Jalen Brunson is expected to attend WWE SNME at MSG
Jalen Brunson [via- Bleacher Report]

ESPN analyst Vincent Goodwill believes that the 29-year-old is well within his rights to demand more when he becomes eligible for a new contract extension.

Jalen Brunson is going to come get all of his money. Every bit of money – I won’t say sacrificed. He signed a year early, right? He could have signed for $100 million more by signing later. Every dollar of that $280 million or $300 million that he’s supposed to get, he’s going to get all of that.

Vincent Goodwill on The Hoop Collective

The Knicks point guard has two more years left in his contract. He will earn around $37 million for the next two seasons before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. He will be expecting a contract extension in the range of $280 million to $300 million when his current deal comes to an end.

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