The New York Knicks might as well change their name to the Nova Knicks. Late Tuesday night, the Knicks acquired former Villanova standout Mikal Bridges in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. In addition to Bridges, the Knicks also get a 2026 second-round pick, while the Nets get Bojan Bogdanovic, unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031, an unprotected pick swap in 2028, a top-four protected 2025 first-round pick via the Milwaukee Bucks, and a 2025 second-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
This is the fifth deal the Knicks and Nets have made, and they have traded with each other since 1983.
“This is crazy lol,” Bridges wrote on social media after the trade was reported.
Bridges has two years and $48.2 million left on his current contract. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season but would be eligible to sign a two-year extension on October 1. Last season he averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals and shot 43.6% from the field, 37.2% on 3-pointers and 81.4% on free throws. With the Knicks, he will be reunited with his former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo; the four of them won two NCAA championships together.
This isn’t a good trade for the Knicks. Bridges is a good player and could help the Knicks win a championship. However, the Knicks are giving up a lot for Bridges, and it could hurt them in the long run. In addition to losing Bogdanovic, the Knicks could also lose more key players in OG Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Mitchell Robinson. Anunoby and Hartenstein are free agents, with Hartenstein not expected to return, while Robinson most likely will be traded. With Hartenstein and Robinson gone, Bridges won’t be enough to make up for the loss. Should Anunoby not re-sign, then the Knicks will be in trouble because they will have lost a lot of their best players and won’t have the draft picks to replace them. While the Knicks made the trade for Bridges to help win a championship, the trade will most likely be the move that will cease their chances of winning a championship because they will have lost so much that they won’t be able to compete with a team like the Boston Celtics to win a championship.
(Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
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