Mikal Bridges Is A New York Knick!
It actually happened! The Villanova Knicks are a real thing ladies and gentlemen. An absolutely crazy trade just days before Free Agency begins, time to figure out what this means for the Nets and the Knicks, and who really won the trade.
Wow what a time to be an NBA fan, everyone in the NBA world has been joking about Mikal joining the Knicks since Josh Hart and Donte Divincenzo joined Jalen Brunson in NY. Now, the dreams of Villanova fans, Knick fans, and Mikal Bridges fans has become a reality. The Knicks receive Mikal Bridges for Bojan Bogdanovic (returning to Brooklyn), FOUR First Round Picks and a First Round Pick swap.
What does this mean for the Knicks
Well, it almost certainly means OG Anunoby won’t be returning, which opens a lot of possibilities for a number of other teams, but that’s not what we’re here for. The Fantastic Four are together for the first time since their championship winning Villanova squad. It’s clear as day that the Knicks have decided that their NBA championship window is now, and they’ve given up the farm for it.
Obviously, the chemistry is there with this team, and with none of the main 4 being over 29 years old, this should be a team that can stay together for 3-5 seasons, providing it doesn’t go completely sideways. This is without mentioning that their All-Star Julius Randle will be back from an injury that kept him out of their entire playoff run, unless New York have another trade up their sleeve involving the Power Forward.
Prior to free agency, it’s difficult to say that this NY team isn’t a top 3 team in the East next season. While Mikal and OG are probably about the same tier of player in that Small Forward position, the instant chemistry and added scoring variety will be a huge benefit to this team.
What does this mean for the Nets
Effectively it means that they’ve (finally) fully embraced the rebuild. If we go back to how they originally got Bridges on the team, in the Kevin Durant trade, they got 4 FRPs and a swap from that deal, and the same again here. Kind of crazy to put it like that, suggesting Mikal Bridges and Kevin Durant are worth the same amount of draft capital, though obviously there were multiple quality players involved in the KD trade as well. Brooklyn fans will undoubtedly miss their guy, but they’ve got an excellent haul for him in this trade, for a team with no real chance of competing.
The Nets also completed another trade just minutes after this blockbuster. They sent the Rockets two FRPs from Phoenix and a pick swap from Phoenix all from the KD trade, for their own 2026 FRP and a 2025 swap. This trade really gives the idea that Brooklyn have decided they will be bad next season, and likely look to rebuild through the draft, hence why they would trade back for their own picks.
Don’t be at all surprised if more trades follow this from Sean Marks. Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith and even Dennis Schroder should all demand some draft capital from contending teams. Brooklyn are already sitting on 11 FRPs over the next 5 seasons, and that number could stretch to 15 over this off-season.
Who won the trade?
Of course, only time will tell who really won the trade. Depends if the Knicks have playoff success in the next few years, depends on how the Nets use their picks, and on how each team builds on this trade.
Who won the trade?
0%Knicks
0%Nets
At face value, this seems like a win-win. Yes, New York gave up a lot, and it’s certainly a risk, but they’ve maximized their chance at a championship with all their core players in their prime. As a GM, that’s the best thing you can do. The Nets have done well to get the most out of Bridges, and look set to build for the future, hoping they can build even more draft capital over the next few months.
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