This past season, the Knicks watched Jalen Brunson emerge as a full-fledged superstar. The 27-year-old earned his first ever nods as an All-Star and All-NBA honoree while posting a horde of personal-bests, including his 28.7 points and 6.7 assists per outing.

Then, they did what business folks say you should never do: They bought into a stock at its all-time high.

Incredibly, though, they did so without paying top dollar—or anything close to it. They got his signature on a four-year, $156.5 million extension worth more than $100 million less than he could have collected on a five-year pact next offseason.

Brunson could, of course, recoup some of this money down the line, as he’ll be eligible for a four-year, $253 million pact in 2027. Still, these savings and the flexibility they create are real; this is $37 million less across the first three seasons of the deal than the five-year maximum contract he could have landed next offseason.