Years of speculation around a trade for another star finally came to fruition on Tuesday before the 2024 NBA Draft. The New York Knicks traded a haul of draft capital to the Brooklyn Nets for forward Mikal Bridges.
There is a Villanova reunion going on at Madison Square Garden as Bridges joins Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. After going on a valiant playoff run despite all the injuries, Knicks fans are beyond excited about what this core can accomplish moving forward.
Bridges' camp reportedly made it clear to the Nets that he wanted to be traded to the Knicks to reunite with his former college teammates. Whether or not Bridges made a strong push is unclear, but it is clear he is excited to be back with his former teammates on a championship contender.
Not everyone throughout the league is happy, though. Bam Adebayo accused Brunson and Hart of tampering to get their former teammate to the Knicks shortly after the trade. It is unclear whether Adebayo was being genuine or sarcastic but that did not stop Bridges from responding to the conversation around him "forcing" his way to the Knicks.
And yall mfs really think i got pull like that lol please be frðŸ˜
— Mikal Bridges (@mikal_bridges) June 26, 2024
Mikal Bridges responds perfectly after being traded to the Knicks
It goes without saying that the Knicks are a great landing spot for Bridges. Not only does he get to reunite with his former teammates, but he is entering a system where he can thrive and compete for a chance to win the NBA Championship.
That being said, the Nets were not going to outright trade Bridges to the Knicks just because he wanted to go there. It was always in the Nets' best interest to get the absolute most for Bridges in a trade.
The Knicks certainly offered the absolute most, sending Brooklyn four unprotected picks, an unprotected pick swap and a protected pick via the Milwaukee Bucks.
As great as Bridges is, as he alludes to, he does not have the kind of pull to operate behind the scenes and force his way to the Knicks. This was a situation where both teams' needs aligned. That is why Bridges is a Knick, not because he pulled some magical strings.
And quite frankly, we cannot blame anyone for raising an eyebrow at this trade. The Knicks are going to be an extremely tough team to play next season and Bridges is going to be a big reason why.