Moving away from tweets, business mogul Mark Cuban showed up in Pablo Torre’s studio. He maintained his stance. The former Mavericks majority owner still doesn’t think Steve Ballmer is guilty of circumventing the salary cap. However, he is unsettled when it comes to another team – the New York Knicks.

In 2022, the Mavs lost Jalen Brunson in free agency to the team. Cuban, in conversations about the deal, has always been contentious. “I just think there was a lot of play there,” he said about the Knicks signing the former Mavericks guard after a surreal postseason run. For context, the Knicks were penalized with a 2025 second-round pick by the league for speaking to Jalen Brunson early in free agency.

A lot more happened because of which Cuban doesn’t think Adam Silver’s ruling was fair. “Was I happy that they only got dinged for a second-round pick? No. No. It should have been far worse, but is what it is,” he said on Pablo Torre Finds Out. Previously, Mark Cuban has spoken about how Brunson’s agent and father, Rick Brunson, made negotiations difficult. He even had a conversation with Jalen Brunson on his podcast.

That’s where Mark Cuban revealed that the Mavericks wanted to sign Brunson to a new deal. They could offer the most money, but as talks with the Knicks reached an advanced stage, Brunson’s representation never provided a clear number to the Mavericks. As for the punishment, it does follow precedent.

Just one season ago, the Miami Heat were handed an identical punishment for having conversations with Kyle Lowry earlier than the allowed date. With Cuban selling his stake and Brunson finding success with the Knicks, he isn’t keen on revisiting the situation. “You know, that’s behind me. You know, more power to JB. More power to everything,” he told Torre.

But the podcaster may not leave the Knicks alone just yet.

Pablo Torre may go after Jalen Brunson next

It’s clear now that Mark Cuban doesn’t hold any grudges against Brunson. That’s despite the shady way they acquired the star point guard. They hired Rick Brunson to the coaching staff, although he did have experience under Tom Thibodeau. Furthermore, Leon Rose, the Knicks’ president, was once an agent for Brunson. His son, Sam Rose, took over when he signed for the franchise.

Torre already has his hands full. He has devoted his resources to proving Ballmer and the Clippers’ possible circumvention to sign Kawhi Leonard. However, he did hint that Brunson could be next on his agenda.

“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? Like, O.K., that’s a pretty good deal for the Knicks. Anyway, I don’t want to get ahead of myself in terms of that. It’s a little bit of a tease,” Torre said on the Dan Patrick Show.

There isn’t proof of the Knicks offering Brunson money under the table yet. But his taking a $113 million pay cut by signing an extension a year early has raised some eyebrows. Jalen Brunson has maintained his decision was to keep the Knicks’ roster together for the long. His decision was a direct factor in their ability to sign Bridges and Towns.

But it sure seems Torre’s interest piqued, looking at the situation. Do you think he will look deeper into the Knicks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.