Now that the New York Knicks are on course to hire Mike Brown as head coach, it’s time they turn attention to their next most important piece of offseason business: The Mikal Bridges extension.
Since the end of the NBA Finals, the 28-year-old has been eligible to sign a four-year, $156.2 million deal that would kick in during the 2026-27 campaign. Most have assumed that he will put pen to paper this summer—that it was part of the calculus in surrendering control of five first-rounders and one swap to get him. But the fact that we’ve yet to get word on an agreement could be cause for concern.
Of course, it could also come down to order of operations. The Knicks needed a head coach to clarify their overarching direction, and while they didn’t have a first-round pick or much money to spend in free agency, there were other, more time-sensitive tasks potentially on their to-do list.
Those matters are largely done, though. Bridges must now be the primary focus. New York will live to regret it if he’s not.
The Knicks need Mikal Bridges to sign this extension
A rocky debut season from Bridges has left many wondering whether he’s worth the full four-year freight. The hesitance is understandable. But the Knicks have no room to play hardball.
Even with the league’s recently adjusted financial projections, Bridges’ max extension will never be worth more than 23 percent of the salary cap. That is, at worst, about right for someone who will remain in his prime for the duration of the deal, and who ranks among the most intriguing three-and-D weapons in the Association.
Framed another way: Bridges’ salary in the first year of this extension would be around $34.9 million. As of now, that would rank as the 46th-highest cap hit for the 2026-27 season. So unless the Knicks think Bridges is not a top-50 player, they shouldn’t view a four-year, $156.2 million agreement as egregious.
It will only cost the Knicks more to re-sign Mikal Bridges next summer
New York could roll the dice on an underwhelming free-agency market lowering Bridges’ price tag one year from now. That is—and I don’t say this lightly—a terrible gamble.
Another team can offer Bridges up to four years and a projected $213.4 million max deal in 2026 free agency. The Knicks cannot be so quick to assume that won’t happen. There will be more cap space floating around, and again, his skill set is among the most sought after styles from non-stars. Just as OG Anunoby had four-year maxes from other teams at his disposal in 2023, the same will ring true for Bridges in 2026.
Letting this situation ride out puts the Knicks in an awkward—and expensive—position. Their four-year max would run approximately $222.4 million. That’s $66-plus million more than his could-be extension.
Complicated still, if Bridges reaches free agency, the Knicks may need to include a fifth year to edge out the market. That’s what they did for Anunoby. Even if that doesn’t come in at the max, it will cost the team dramatically more than an extension does now. And when you’re trying to sustain a core in the Era of Aprons, that doesn’t just matter. It could mean everything.
So in all actuality, there should be nothing to debate here. The Knicks need to offer Bridges the four-year, $156.2 million extension—and then hope he signs it. Because if he doesn’t, faced with what could happen next summer, they’ll have no choice other than to consider trading him.