NY Knicks: Would a trade for Miles Bridges make any sense?

Just because the new season just started, it doesn’t mean it’ll stop me from coming up with a bunch of wacky NY Knicks trade concepts. It’s just what I do.

Silly trade scenarios are my thing…it’s what I enjoy doing even if they don’t make the most sense.
Today’s hypothetical target is none other than Charlotte’s Miles Bridges.

The uber-athletic do-it-all wing would be a fine addition to any team in the league…but why would Charlotte consider trading him?

As some of us know, the period to extend any first-round rookies from the 2018 NBA Draft just passed on Monday, October 18th.

We know this well because the Knicks’ 2018 rookie Kevin Knox has something in common with Miles Bridges in that he did not receive an offer prior to the deadline either.

Now, of course, the Hornets will be allowing Bridges to test free agency this upcoming summer as a restricted free agent, meaning they have the ability to match any offer that comes his way.

Would a trade for Miles Bridges make sense for the NY Knicks?

Rumor has it, Bridges was expecting a contract where the annual salary’s floor was around $20 million per season.

Although Bridges took a small step down in points per game last season, he improved drastically in nearly every other statistical and non-statistical category.

The 23-year-old became a better passer, scorer, and defender…but most notably, he upped his 3-point shooting percentage from 33% to 40% last year.

But would a trade make sense for the Knicks?

In the trade, the Knicks are sending over Alec Burks, a first, and two seconds in exchange for Miles Bridges.

Due to Charlotte’s strength and depth at Shooting Guard through Power Forward, they could afford to lose Bridges.

This would just mean PJ Washington would move into the starting 5 full time and Alec Bruks would take Bridges’ spot off the bench.

At face value, the trade seems a little lopsided because, in reality, Bridges is worth more than essentially Alec Burks and what should be a late first-rounder from the Knicks.

But we have to keep in mind, anyone trading for Bridges isn’t just trading for the player but also the ability to sign him long-term.

Now, to break down the logistics of the trade, while I am a huge fan of Miles Bridges and would love to see him and Obi Toppin have nightly dunk contests in-game, I don’t see it working out for either side personally.

The Hornets would be much better off seeing how Bridges performs for the entire season to gauge how much they’d be willing to invest into him on his next contract.

Clearly, the two sides are a little far apart now but if Miles finds a way to get even better than he was last year, that $20 million price tag will be a lot easier pill for them to swallow.

As for the Knicks, Burks is a proven commodity at both ends of the floor and his secondary ballhandling and offensive creation will be crucial down the stretch for a team that has guys like IQ and Obi Toppin coming off the bench who perform best off-ball.

Also, the Knicks just invested heavily into both Julius Randle and Evan Fournier, plus they’ll have to extend RJ Barrett at some point next year.

Therefore, Bridges’ fit would be a little wonky and I can’t think of any teams in the league paying players $20 million a season to come off the bench.

All in all, cute idea but no dice from me.

What do you think, Knicks fans? Do you think the Knicks should make a move for Miles Bridges?