The Dallas Mavericks had the chance to sign Jalen Brunson for a cheaper price last summer. However they fumbled and eventually lost their rising star guard to the New York Knicks.

Now in his appearance on JJ Redick's The Old Man & The Three podcast (via The News & Observer), Brunson opened up about the Mavs' attempt to correct their mistake from the past offseason and why he refused to sign their previous offer.

To recall, Dallas didn't offer the 25-year-old an extension last summer due to his playoff struggles against the Los Angeles Clippers. But when he started thriving last January, the team came calling to give him a $55 million extension. According to Brunson, though, it was “too late” and he was in position to explore the free agent market for a potentially larger deal.

“By then, it was too late. The business came knocking at the door. It was time to at least look. I had to do my due diligence and look,” Brunson explained.

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Sure enough, the Mavs cannot blame anyone but themselves for their failure to keep Jalen Brunson. They had a really good chance to keep him, but they gambled to probably save more money. It ended up costing them one of the better players they have developed in recent years.

As for Brunson, it was really hard to say no to the kind of money the Knicks offered. After all, it was something he didn't expect to get.

“Not at all. It’s something — we were actually just talking about it with my dad, we were on vacation in Jamaica, kind of the same time the year before. As soon as we got there, I remember we were talking the last time we were here about signing an extension as soon as we get the opportunity. I said, ‘We basically just doubled that,'” Brunson shared.

Brunson did what's best for himself and his career, and the Mavs couldn't do anything about it.