When the Knicks sent five first-round picks and a first-round pick swap to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets last offseason, it felt like an overpay at the time. One year later, according to insider Jake Fischer, the Celtics reportedly would require a "Mikal Bridges-type" package to deal Derrick White. The report is the latest reminder of just how much the Knicks overpaid for Bridges, who is several tiers less impactful than White is.
There is something to be said about just going for it when you have the opportunity. The Knicks' front office had done a fantastic job of accumulating assets and remaining patient over the last few years. Last summer, they finally swung for the fences, making two massive trades to land Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns.
The problem was that they seemed to have overvalued just how impactful Bridges is. To be clear, Bridges is a good player and a valuable one to have on a roster. That said, he doesn't impact winning at nearly the same level that White does.
White is a significantly better player than Bridges
If you just look at their counting stats, Bridges and White seem like similar-level players. Last season, Bridges averaged 17.6 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three. White, meanwhile, averaged 16.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three.
However, if you look at any impact metric, the gap between the two becomes shockingly clear. For example, last season, White had an Estimated Plus-Minus of +3.4, while Bridges was +1.1. Bridges is clearly an impactful player, but nowhere close to what White brings to the table.
Other metrics, such as BBall-Index's LEBRON, paint a similar picture.
— bk (@vidaudio45) June 29, 2025
Knicks have a big Bridges decision to make
The Knicks can't go back in time and not make the Bridges trade; what's done is done. Now they are faced with a new decision: if they want to lock him up long-term. Bridges is eligible to sign a four-year, $156.2 million contract extension this summer.
The other option would be to try to move Bridges in a trade. Several rumors have surfaced in recent weeks that both he and Mitchell Robinson could potentially be on the move.
Ultimately, the direction the Knicks go in regarding Bridges will likely depend on who their next head coach is. Bridges was rumored to have a sour relationship with Tom Thibodeau, so perhaps the next head coach does a better job of utilizing him.