The "Nova Knicks" have grown stronger this summer.
The New York Knicks' trade for Mikal Bridges added yet another Villanova alum to the team. The Knicks now have Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and Bridges, who all played at Villanova together and won a national championship.
The trio of Brunson, Hart, and DiVincenzo had already added a level of toughness and chemistry to the Knicks last year; now they add Bridges, a 3-and-D wing who fits the Knicks roster perfectly.
While speaking on the "Roommates" podcast, Brunson and Hart both said they never saw the trade happening.
"I never thought it would happen, because when was the last time the Nets made a trade with the Knicks?" Brunson asked on the podcast.
Indeed, prior to this summer's Bridges trade, the two teams had not made a deal since 1983. Their at-times heated rivalry made many think that a deal would never happen, especially if it involved sending a valuable player like Bridges to play cross-town, alongside his friends.
Hart, who had practically recruited Bridges all last season, admitted on the podcast that he was just fanning the flames of the trade rumors without actually believing the Knicks could land Bridges.
"People saw me, I like trolling, I like messing around on Twitter, Instagram, just having fun with it," Hart said. "So all the times I would be like, 'Yo, 'Kal, hit my line. 'Kal call me,' you don't really think it's going to happen, but you're like, you know what, let me mess with Mikal, because that's my guy ... And then you see [the trade] actually happen, you're like, oh wow, that's actually really dope."
Brunson and Hart said they were both out to dinner when the trade broke. Both players said they didn't believe it was real, then excitedly ran out of their respective restaurants to join a FaceTime call with their old college teammates.
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) June 26, 2024
On the podcast, Brunson said Brides will fit seamlessly with the Knicks because there won't be a big adjustment to add him to the rotation.
Hart agreed, and said he expects Bridges to play a combination of the two roles he had between the Phoenix Suns and Nets, as a 3-and-D wing who can play off the ball, but also handle it in doses.
