Sean Marks proves Nets fans wrong about Knicks-Mikal Bridges trade
Even Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart had no idea that the New York Knicks were in talks with the Nets to trade for Mikal Bridges. When the trade happened, Brunson and Hart were stunned, as was the entire fan base. No one was prepared for Adrian Wojnarowski's tweet.
The trade is now official. New York sent Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton, four unprotected first-round picks, an unprotected pick swap, a 2025 protected first-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick to Brooklyn for Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, a 2026 second-round pick, and the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet. That's quite a haul for a player like Bridges, but it's a price the Knicks were willing to pay.
There was a rumor floating around that Bridges told Brooklyn's front office that he wanted to be traded to New York, but he denied that soon after Woj reported the trade.
And yall mfs really think i got pull like that lol please be fr😭
— Mikal Bridges (@mikal_bridges) June 26, 2024
Sean Marks shuts down claim that Mikal Bridges requested a trade
On Monday, Nets GM Sean Marks spoke to reporters. While discussing the Bridges trade, Marks said that the 27-year-old didn't know a deal was going to happen and that the report about Bridges requesting a trade "could not be further from the truth."
Sean Marks details the behind-the-scenes of the Mikal Bridges trade discussions:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) July 8, 2024
"Leon and I talked for a couple of days on this thing and it moved very, very quickly. You could tell how interested they were in adding Mikal to that group.”pic.twitter.com/bumX1i2sHg
Even before the trade happened, Bridges was criticized by Nets fans because of his connection to the Knicks. He appeared on the "Roommates Show" with Brunson and Hart. Per usual, Hart not-so-subtly recruited Bridges to the superior team in New York. Because Bridges didn't "stand up" for the Nets, some Brooklyn fans turned on him.
In his goodbye message to the Nets, Bridges reiterated that he got traded and wasn't a free agent, so he didn't choose his destination. It's no secret that the Knicks would be interested in Bridges once the Nets decided to take calls on him, which is why Marks said the trade happened quickly after he first spoke with Leon Rose. New York and Brooklyn are notorious for not doing business with one another, but Bridges changed that.
Some Nets fans may no longer like Bridges, but that doesn't matter. He's finally where he's meant to be.
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