To the vast majority of New York Knicks fans, Jalen Brunson has already established himself as an all-time franchise great and, simply put, is a man who can do no wrong.
To Stephen A. Smith, however, the point guard is someone who deserves the lion's share of blame for the acquisition of Mikal Bridges.
During a recent episode of First Take, the veteran ESPN personality and outspoken, long-suffering Knicks fan laid out a rather shocking case for why he views Brunson as "the person I'm blaming most" for the polarizing 2024 blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
"This is all his fault... They gave up [Bojan Bogdanovic], four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick in 2025, a first-round swap, and a second-round pick in [2025] for Mikal Bridges... They did that because instead of waiting a year and signing a five-year, $270 million max extension, Jalen Brunson signed a four-year, $156 million extension... He did it so they can get his boy," Smith said.
Amid his tirade, Smith made sure to note that he commends Brunson for his efforts since signing on with the Knicks back in 2022, and that he has "no problem" with him taking roughly a $113 million pay cut to help New York's financial situation.
However, in his eyes, the discount he gave Leon Rose and company came attached with an unspoken agreement to pursue his college teammate and close personal friend, and while he admits the forward is "not a scrub" and that "he can play," the package they gave up in the process is regularly suited for an All-Star player which, as Smith and virtually every fan can attest, is not Bridges.
Now, not only are they out a whopping seven total picks, but with the four-year, $150 million extension he signed last August, the Knicks are projected to be a high-end luxury taxpayer for the foreseeable future, which, as Stephen A. put it, "will handicap you from building a roster that can compete for a championship."
Mikal Bridges struggling mightily in second season with Knicks
All of this talk about buyer's remorse on the Bridges trade stems from the 29-year-old's recent struggles here in year two with the Knicks, particularly as of late.
As things currently stand, the forward finds himself posting his lowest point-per-game totals since his junior season (14.8) and the third-worst true shooting percentage of his career (.584), while his 36.2 percent shooting clip from beyond the arc since being traded to New York is below his career averages of 37.2 percent.
Of course, what has really been the biggest knock on Bridges' play in the orange and blue threads is the fact that he's been wildly inconsistent on the hardwood.
From his surprise change in shooting form to kick off his tenure to his late-season slump in 2024-25 that only seemed to shake off with his heroic production against the Celtics in last year's conference semifinals, Bridges has been quite an up-and-down producer.
Now, mid-way through year eight, he finds himself amid a truly abysmal slump, specifically on the offensive end where he's compiled a total of 39 points over his last six games and, since the beginning of March, is averaging just 10.0 points on 39.6 percent shooting from the floor and 30.0 percent shooting from deep.
On top of all this, he ranks in with the third-lowest plus-minus on the team among those who have seen action in 10 or more games during this span.
Though there's still time for Bridges to snap out of his funk before the Knicks embark on their fourth-straight playoff run, the time for him to start doing so is now.
Otherwise, as Stephen A. Smith put it, the initial deal for the veteran may be viewed as "an absolutely horrific trade" and, in turn, will "damn sure" be a major reason they may fall short of the NBA Finals.