Jalen Brunson Accidentally Sparks Trade Rumor Mill

The New York Knicks face an offseason of uncertainty after losing their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Indiana Pacers 4-2: they fired head coach Tom Thibodeau for his inability to get over the hump, and pundits have tied them to a series of potential blockbuster trades. On Tuesday, June 17, Villanova alumnus and Knicks star Jalen Brunson accidentally sparked the rumor mill with a cryptic social media post.

“I am genuinely confused” read Brunson’s tweet, which made NBA fans wonder whether he had early warning that the Knicks were sending him out of town via a trade or that he was expressing his frustration with the team’s decision to fire Thibodeau. Other fans simply expressed anxiety at what Brunson knew and they didn’t.

Dawg just got traded lmaoo 😂😂😂😂

— 𝒮𝑀𝐻𝟤𝟦 (@smh24yt__) June 18, 2025

Need some context here, or we’re gonna worry about ya. pic.twitter.com/rXxdr5GDUk

— greg cantwell (@gregmcantwell) June 18, 2025

They fired Thibs bc they had a plan. They simply forgot Jason Kidd was under contract.

— NetsFrequent (@Nets_Frequent) June 18, 2025

After seeing the knee jerk reactions to his tweet, Brunson cleared the air just 11 minutes later: he was referring to the latest episode of the hit reality TV show “Love Island”.

In his words: “Damn my bad yall, I was talking about love island.” Brunson’s follow up tweet went viral, picking up more than 60,000 likes and 4.6 million views.

Jalen Brunson earned Second Team All-NBA honors and a starting spot in the 2025 All-Star Game after averaging 26 points and 7.3 assists per game, both good for the eighth-best mark in the NBA. The seventh-year point guard also won the NBA’s KIA Clutch Player of the Year award thanks to his ability to put on his best performances in crunch time.

Despite their loss in the conference finals, Brunson helped New York to their best postseason finish in a quarter century, elevating his game and averaging 29.4 points per game.