It surprised everyone. One of Adrian Wojnarowski's final tweets was about the New York Knicks trading for Mikal Bridges. There was speculation about the Knicks acquiring the final Villanova piece (at the time), but nobody thought the Nets would agree to a trade.
Brooklyn's front office put its pride aside and happily agreed to acquire four unprotected first-round picks, an unprotected first-round pick swap, a protected 2025 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, and Shake Milton. The Nets' would've been crazy not to accept that haul for a player who has never made an All-Star team.
New York was ridiculed for overpaying for a role player, and Bridges' start to the season didn't help. His shot wasn't falling, and he looked lost at times on defense. The criticism piled on, but you can't count a player out because of his first few weeks of play with a new team. Who would've thought?
Bridges turned a corner, looking like the player the Knicks knew they were getting when they agreed to the trade. He's averaging 20 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game since the start of December. His best game of the season came on Christmas in a 117-114 win over the Spurs when he dropped 41 points (17-of-25).
Mikal Bridges returns to Brooklyn for first time since Knicks trade
Bridges will play his first game in Barclays Center since the trade on Tuesday when the Knicks tip off against the Nets for the start of NBA Rivals Week. New York has played Brooklyn twice this season at MSG, and Bridges scored 21 and 22.
He's scored at least 23 points in three of the Knicks' last four outings (he finished with 15 in the loss to the Timberwolves). Bridges finished with 26 points in Monday's win over Atlanta, including 14 in New York's 40-point third quarter. He shot 12-of-17 from the floor and had his best individual defensive possession of the season guarding Trae Young.
Mikal Bridges locks up Trae Young 🚫 pic.twitter.com/nzXDRicLbY
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 20, 2025
Bridges started the season with impossibly high expectations because of the price the Knicks paid for him. He will never be a superstar and may never be named an All-Star, but the front office knew that when they acquired him. What New York needs is for Mikal to be Mikal.
He's gone through some rough patches this season, but all players do. Bridges may not have had to make another cross-country move when the Knicks traded him, but that doesn't mean the transition on the court was easy for him. He's since found his footing.
Bridges will probably be welcomed back to Barclays to a booing crowd, but the cheers from Knicks fans will drown out those boos. That's one of the many pluses of playing for New York's team. He might've been in the city for over a year before the Knicks trade, but he's finally home now.