It has barely been a week since the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship, and one Eastern Conference team is already gearing up to dethrone them next season. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets have agreed to a trade in principle that will send Mikal Bridges and a second round pick to the Knicks and Bojan Bogdanovic, five first rounders, and a second round pick to the Nets.
The Knicks are looking to erase their tough seven game series second round loss to the Indiana Pacers and compete with the best in the Eastern Conference. As for the Nets, they finally begin a much needed rebuild by acquiring first round picks that they can use to acquire young talent through the draft.
Did the Knicks give up too much for Mikal Bridges?
This may seem like a hefty price to pay for the Knicks, but given the offers the Nets have declined for Bridges over the past year and what his reported market was, this was the right move to make. They did not give up too much in this trade because Bridges elevates them to new heights that could include being a thorn in Boston’s side.
Bridges has been on the rise the last few years as an offensive player. He has become a 20-point scorer per game and has shown flashes of what he can be with the right team around him. In his first season with Brooklyn, he averaged 26 points per game, but his numbers dipped to 20 PPG this season. This is mostly due to the fact that the Nets had poor roster construction around Bridges, which included too many wings and a lack of consistent floor spacing and play making.
Fortunately for Bridges, he walks into a situation in New York where they have shooting and play making for days that will open up the floor for him. Playing next to an All-NBA guard in Jalen Brunson and having the defense focus all their attention on him, Bridges will benefit from quality looks. He shot 40 percent on corner threes last season, was 13th in the NBA in total made threes (220), and 39 percent on catch and shoot threes. He also has the ability to create his own shot.
Bridges is also an elite defensive player, and the Knicks are already one of the best defensive teams in the league. With less of an offensive load on his plate, Bridges can go back to fully focusing on that end on the floor and make opponents' lives miserable. He, along with Josh Hart and OG Anunoby, if the Knicks re-sign him, will form a dangerous defensive trio that can match up with anyone in the league.
Making this move is great for the Knicks, and it moves them into championship contender status. It was a hefty price to pay, but for a 27-year-old player who has gotten better offensively and has not missed a game in his NBA career, the price is worth it. There is nothing but orange and blue skies in New York right now.