The "Nova Knicks" just got stronger.
According to multiple reports, the New York Knicks swung a trade on Tuesday to land Brooklyn Nets wing Mikal Bridges.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks are sending Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via the Milwaukee Bucks, an unprotected pick swap, and a second-rounder.
BREAKING: The Brooklyn Nets have agreed in principle on a trade to send F Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via Bucks, an unprotected pick swap and a second-rounder, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/TEGsIpoa3b
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 26, 2024
Bridges has often been viewed as an ideal fit with the Knicks — a 3-and-D wing who can defend multiple positions, space the floor, and create his own shot. He was also college teammates at Villanova with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo.
However, there were major doubts about whether the Knicks and Nets would ever complete a deal. The two teams hadn't traded with each other since 1983 and have had an (at times) heated rivalry.
The Knicks, Yahoo's Jake Fischer had reported, were one of several teams to keep checking in on Bridges. Indeed, The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor had reported that some within the NBA believed that the Nets would trade Bridges to the Knicks — if the Knicks overpaid.
Indeed, the six first-round picks is a major haul for Brooklyn, one that kickstarts a Nets rebuild. However, the Knicks had stockpiled picks for this exact scenario — the possibility of using a surplus of assets to acquire a player of their choosing without totally mortgaging their future.
It's unclear how this trade affects the rest of the Knicks' offseason plans. For instance, will the team still re-sign OG Anunoby, whose contract price seemingly keeps getting higher? Doing so would give the Knicks arguably the best defensive wing combination in the league. However, the deal for Bridges does give the Knicks some breathing room if they decide the price for Anunoby is just too high. SNY's Ian Begley reports that the Knicks still intend to re-sign Anunoby.
It's also unclear if the Knicks have any big moves up their sleeves. Though they've traded most of their best assets in this deal, they do still have draft picks, plus big contracts in Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson that they can trade.
For now, the Knicks have landed a big fish — a player who both on and off the court should fit seamlessly.
