Popular sports media figure predicts Knicks will make unthinkable offseason trade

The offseason "rumors" started before the New York Knicks' season ended on Sunday with a Game 7 loss to the Pacers. Leon Rose has assembled draft assets to use in a star trade, and this summer could be when he and the front office cash in.

There are several different routes the Knicks could take, but the direction they'll move in is still unclear. Once the NBA offseason officially begins, more information about New York's plans should be revealed. Or, the organization could come out of left field with a shocking trade. At least, that's what The Ringer's Bill Simmons thinks.

On 'The Bill Simmons Podcast,' he and Ryen Russillo discussed potential Knicks trade targets, and Simmons took it a step further by predicting that the team would trade for Mikal Bridges.

Bill Simmons thinks the Knicks will trade for Nets' Mikal Bridges

In theory, a Knicks-Bridges trade makes sense, but there's one major hold-up. There's a slim chance (if there's even one) that Sean Marks and Joe Tsai would agree to send the forward to the Knicks. New York and Brooklyn don't do business with one another, but that doesn't mean the organizations can't. Simply put, they choose not to.

ESPN's cap guru Bobby Marks spent 20 years with the Nets, and he said that during that time, the teams never discussed a trade. Especially with the Knicks' resurgence and the Nets' downfall, it's hard to envision Brooklyn trading one of its key players to its most hated rival. The Knicks tax is real, and the Nets would ask for the world (and then some) for Bridges. New York can't mortgage its future for a role player.

Maybe the teams could put their differences aside and at least talk about a trade. During an ongoing lawsuit, New York and Toronto agreed to a trade that wouldn't be the same as a Knicks-Nets trade but was still unexpected.

New York fans would be thrilled to add the final Villanova piece to the roster, as the current three Wildcats have significantly shaped the culture. Josh Hart has not-so-subtly tried to get Bridges to the Knicks. Maybe his wish will finally come true! Don't bank on it, though.