Bill Simmons thinks Jalen Brunson joining the New York Knicks is the 9th-best free agent signing of the 21st century

The New York Knicks were among the league’s laughingstocks for many years. For 20 seasons since the 2001-02 campaign, they made just five trips to the playoffs and advanced past the first round just once. However, things are looking up for the team, as it has finally found its potential long-term superstar in Jalen Brunson.

Notably, the New Jersey native chose to go to the Knicks, signing as a free agent in the 2022 offseason. It’s already shaping up to be one of the best signings in franchise history. Bill Simmons even thinks it already ranks ninth in the top-10 FA signings of the 21st century.

“LeBron [James] 2011, [Kevin] Durant ’16, LeBron ’14, [Steve] Nash [’04], [Chauncey] Billups, [Chris] Bosh, [Andre] Iguodala, [Jimmy] Butler eighth, Brunson ninth, Ray Allen 10th – that’s the top 10,” Simmons ranked. “That’s what I have, and I’m sure I forgot two other people. But that’s what I did. Anyway, Brunson, significant.”

Brunson’s impact

Bill has come a long way from declaring that the Knicks probably made a mistake giving Brunson a lucrative contract.

To be fair to The Ringer founder, only a few people outside New York could have foreseen how impactful the FA signing would turn out. Some pundits even thought that the former second-round pick would play second fiddle to Julius Randle.

Now, Brunson is one of the best players in the league, and his 47-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers even reminded Simmons of the majestic 1984 postseason run by Bernard King, another Knicks legend.

He also has a shot at earning an All-NBA First-Team selection, which would make him the first Knick to receive the honors since Patrick Ewing in the 1989-90 season. More importantly, the Knickerbockers have become a legitimate title contender, and their fans finally have another reason to root staunchly for the franchise. They are one win closer to a second straight conference semifinal berth, which would be their third appearance on that stage in the 21st century.

A top-tier free agent signing

Is Simmons’ ranking of the Knicks’ acquisition of Brunson precise? For now, placing it higher than the eight mentioned is probably tough, as those led to championships or, in Nash and Butler’s case, resulted in two MVPs or multiple Finals runs.

It’s worth noting that Simmons has the Brunson-Knicks signing ahead of the Miami Heat poaching Allen from the Boston Celtics in 2012 and Kawhi Leonard joining the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019 while bringing Paul George along for the ride.