The last couple of years in the NBA have seen strange trades, some of which were downright perplexing if not incredibly lopsided. The now infamous Luka Doncic trade was a real head-scratcher for the Mavericks. Anthony Davis is a great player, but the Lakers got away with a steal. A generational talent for the price of AD, Max Christie, and only one draft pick. Yikes.
Last summer, it was the New York Knicks lighting up big trade news headlines across sports websites. The three-team trade that moved Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks and Julius Randle to the Timberwolves actually worked out well. Both teams made their respective conference finals. The only team that didn't do well was the Hornets, who were also part of that trade.
The KAT/Randle trade wasn't the only lopsided trade the Knicks were involved in. No, that was the Mikal Bridges trade that saw the Knicks give up a few players and an absolute treasure trove of draft picks from 2025 to 2031. Basically, the Knicks gave up their future for a player who isn't playing at the level they need him to. And it looks like the franchise has buyer's remorse.
Those dang Villanova boys
It's not out of the box thinking to suggest that the Knicks front office seems to have a fascination with Jalen Brunson's Villanova crew. In 2016 and 2018, a Villanova Wildcats roster consisting of Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and Mikal Bridge won a pair of NCAA championships. As of the 2023/24, the Knicks had Brunson, Hart, and DiVincenzo.
For the Knicks, the Villanova boys are a lot like Pokemon and they gotta catch 'em all, so the franchise made its move to bring Bridges in and complete the set. To be fair, it's not hard to understand why. These four athletes play incredibly well together and became champions as a squad. Alas, it was not to be as shortly after bringing Bridges in, someone else left.
As part of the KAT/Randle trade, DiVicenzo also went to the Timberwolves. The era of the "Nova Knicks" was brief, but having three quarters of the squad is still pretty good. The Knicks did make it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024/25, which is the most success the franchise has seen in decades. To celebrate, the Knicks fired their head coach. That might not be the only big change.
The Knicks should have buyer's remorse in Bridges
Mikal Bridges is a solid, overall reliable player. On average, he plays 33.3 minutes a game and puts out 14.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Those are career averages, of course. Bridges is also one of those guys who can pop up out of nowhere, then pull off an unexpected defensive play or score a big basket at the right time to get his team back on track.
In his first season with the Knicks, Bridges played in all 82 regular season games and continued to be reliable in the playoffs, though some numbers slid. For the most part, his 2024/25 stats were above or right around his career averages. At the same time, it's worth asking if Mikal's numbers were worth the absolute haul of draft picks the Nets got for him. To some, the answer is no.
The Knicks bet big on the Villanova crew, and it has paid off to an extent. The franchise did make the Eastern Conference Finals, after all. Yet, the Knicks gave up a lot of future prospects to put this group together with big expectations. There is still time for that to work out, but the "Nova Knicks" in any combination might not be the ones to get them there.
Mikal Bridges should be traded
As the draft and free agency loom, trades are already starting. A major shake up recently happened that will see Desmond Bane leave the Grizzlies for the Magic. That may not be the only big move the Grizzlies make. The Knicks really want to pair Jaren Jackson Jr. with KAT and are reportedly more than willing to send Bridges to Memphis to make that happen.
Now that a new head coach is coming to the Knicks, big moves like that are even more likely. Coaches want to put their own squads together to fit their strategy. Brunson, KAT, and Hart likely aren't going anywhere. If the Knicks front office and new head coach remain committed to getting Triple J on board, Bridges is likely to be a key piece of that trade package.
Look, no one is saying that Mikal Bridges is a bad player. In fact, he's highly reliable with flashes of absolute brilliance. At the same time, he hasn't being playing at the level he should be given how much it cost the Knicks to bring him on board. It's time that the Knicks stop letting past successes at Villanova govern their plans for the future,