Mavericks still haven’t escaped Jalen Brunson mistake

More than six years since they agreed on the Kristaps Porzingis trade, the Mavericks and Knicks, who face each other Tuesday, remain intertwined with Jalen Brunson as the reminder of New York’s better future.

It’s a low bar since GM Nico Harrison sabotaged the Mavericks, starting with the decision not to go all out to re-sign Brunson.

The Mavericks’ first big mistake with Brunson was not offering him a four-year, $55 million extension while he still was on the roster.

The second mistake — which followed Brunson’s breakthrough performance in the 2022 playoffs — was not offering him a fifth year on the contract when he became a free agent.

That allowed the Knicks to swoop in and make Brunson the franchise’s best free agent signing in history.

The Mavericks ultimately pivoted to Kyrie Irving, which appeared the right call a year ago, when Dallas advanced to the Finals.

But now, Irving, 33, is out for several months following ACL surgery.

The Mavericks, perhaps the most wounded team in the NBA, traded Luka Doncic for the elder Anthony Davis, who played just one game with Dallas this season before injuring his groin.

Davis, who hasn’t played since January, was upgraded to doubtful for Monday’s game against the Nets.

If he doesn’t play at Barclays Center, Davis could return at MSG — the same place he was last with the Lakers.

Regardless of Davis’ status, the Mavericks are under .500 and were out of the play-in tournament entering Sunday’s games.

They also will be playing the Knicks on the second night of a back-to-back following that Brooklyn game.

New York, meanwhile, will be operating on two days’ rest.

After Brunson, who is expected to return from an ankle sprain before the playoffs, two other recent Mavericks joined the Knicks:

Casey Smith, the current vice president of sports medicine for the Knicks, was a longtime trainer in Dallas before his surprise firing by Harrison in 2023.

The Knicks also hired Heather Mau as a senior athletic trainer.

She was a member of the Mavericks training staff and, according to sources, now works closely with Brunson.

Wizards guard Jordan Poole was fined $2,000 by the NBA for a blatant flop against the Knicks on Saturday, when he faked contact from Karl-Anthony Towns and fell to the court.

It was a total waste of money for Poole.

The referee didn’t fall for the flop and called a foul on Poole in the fourth quarter.

The Knicks won 122-103.