The New York Knicks walked into Barclays Center on Wednesday and took it over like it was their home court, proving Isaiah Hartenstein's point. In the post-Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving era, the Knicks have won three straight games over the Nets.
Brooklyn fell to below .500 with the loss and, as expected, are a Play-In Tournament team at best. Mikal Bridges, who was sensational after being traded to the Nets in February, has struggled recently. Against his Villanova buddies, Bridges shot 4-of-21 (19%) from the field and 1-of-8 (12.5%) from three for 15 points in 33 minutes.
Bridges is New York's missing piece to complete the Villanova starting five, and since the day he became a Net, Knicks fans have been dreaming about what it'd be like to acquire him. His lousy game against New York didn't change that sentiment. In fact, the Knicks fan base jokingly speculated that Bridges was shooting poorly on purpose to lower his trade value.
Mikal Bridges having a bad game on purpose so the Nets will trade him to the Knicks for a 2nd round pick & then he can hoop with the Nova Boyz pic.twitter.com/q9OJrqzCbH
— Knicks Memes (@KnicksMemes) December 21, 2023
New York Knicks fans are still dreaming of a Mikal Bridges trade
Sean Marks and the Nets would likely rather do anything but trade Mikal Bridges to the Knicks but never say never. After 2023-24, the 27-year-old will still have two full seasons on his current contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Considering it doesn't seem like the Nets will be contenders anytime soon, it wouldn't be a shock if Bridges were to be traded. He'd have several suitors vying for his services, and it'd be a move that'd allow Brooklyn to add to its draft assets.
Bridges would never admit (at least not publicly) that he has a desire to play with his friends again, but it'd be a full-circle moment if he did have an opportunity to play alongside Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo. Hart has done his best to recruit his friend to the Knicks, possibly crossing the tampering line in the process.
While Mikal Bridges may never call MSG home, it's fun to dream! Even at your worst, Knicks fans still want to see you suit up in orange and blue. That's love.