DALLAS — In the hands of Knicks backup and budding Wall Street hedgie Matt Ryan, a half-million dollars can grow into something much bigger in his startup investment company.

As you might remember from the inaugural NBA Cup a year ago, Adam Silver desperately needed players to care about his beloved tournament. So the commish commissioned flat cash prizes per player on the championship team.

No sliding scale. No percentage of salary. Just $515,000 per roster spot.

Because salaries are often an indicator of playing time and production, the prize is disproportionately valuable to players contributing less.