The New York Knicks snapped a championship drought dating back to 1973 with their dominant series win over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Obviously, Finals MVP Jalen Brunson was the driving force behind the team's historic playoff run, but the All-Star guard set the team up for success far before this season even began.
It'll be hard for the Detroit Pistons to follow the exact blueprint that Brunson and the Knicks laid down, but if they hope to even get close, it all starts with Jalen Duren this offseason.
Jalen Duren needs to take the Jalen Brunson discount
Brunson put the team first a few offseasons ago, when the superstar opted to leave $113 million on the table, the deal that allowed Leon Rose and the Knicks to aggressively build their roster into the championship contender they proved to be this year.
Following New York's Game 5 sealing win on Saturday, Brunson was asked by ESPN's Malika Andrews if leaving the money on the table was worth it in the end.
His answer? "100 percent worth it."
Duren taking this type of discount isn't exactly an option, considering he's already supermax eligible, but there's definitely an avenue where taking a discount to help the Pistons is the most likely option for the All-NBA big man this summer, at least if he hopes to return to the Motor City.
After a breakout season, Duren bet on himself and proved worthy of the big deal he entered the regular season searching for.
Unfortunately, his strong regular season was followed by a disastrous postseason that put both Duren and the Pistons at a crossroads.
Detroit would like to keep the 22-year-old around for their long-term plans, but not at the price tag he's eligible to sign for.
Duren has a right to be seeking the monster payday he's due for, but the leverage isn't exactly on his side, even with him being a restricted free agent.
Of course, the big man could find the offer he's searching for on the open market and bring it back to the Pistons if he really wants to play hardball. Still, he could also just consider finding the happy medium that keeps him around for the future, while also giving the Pistons more financial flexibility to build a title contender around Cade Cunningham.
The selflessness of Brunson proved to be the difference-maker for the Knicks, so why can't Duren do the same?
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