Jalen Brunson Called Players-Only Meeting After New York Knicks Lost To Dallas Mavericks
All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson called a players-only meeting after the New York Knicks lost to the Dallas Mavericks, according to NBA insider Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
The Knicks lost to the Mavericks at home by a final score of 114-97 on MLK Day. Brunson and Co. are 25-18 on the season, good for third place in the Eastern Conference standings.
“Brunson’s message to teammates after their ninth loss in 11 games, according to multiple sources, was that the Knicks needed to find answers for their poor play in January among themselves, rather than look to the coaching staff for solutions,” Shelburne wrote.
The Knicks made the conference finals last season for the first time since 2000. They lost to the Indiana Pacers in five games and then shockingly fired head coach Tom Thibodeau.
New York hired former Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown as Thibodeau’s replacement. The Knicks won the NBA Cup in December against the San Antonio Spurs, but they have struggled on both ends of the court since then.
“We all need to do some soul-searching,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said after the Mavericks game. “Right now we’re playing embarrassing basketball. We’re not executing on the offensive end. Defensively, we’ve been abysmal. We’ve been terrible defensively all year.”
The Knicks have discussed a Karl-Anthony Towns trade with three teams, according to NBA reporter Steve Popper of Newsday. The three teams are the Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets.
New York discussed a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade with the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason. Those talks involved Towns, who is making $53.1 million this season.
The 2026 NBA trade deadline is February 5 at 3 p.m. ET. Towns doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, preventing him from controlling his future.
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