Knicks Get Trade Grade for Mikal Bridges

The New York Knicks are excited to have another Villanova Wildcats star in the building after trading for Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster trade from the Brooklyn Nets.

After years of hoarding draft picks and future assets to obtain a potential star, the Knicks finally cashed by trading several first-round picks and Bojan Bogdanovic to the crosstown rival Nets for Bridges.

Given the full context of the trade, the price, and the fit Bridges has with the roster, Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley gaves the Knicks a “B” for the trade.

“Coach Tom Thibodeau will appreciate Bridges’ reliability and durability, too. The guy always plays. Major minutes don’t seem to bother Bridges, either, as he’s averaged more than 34 of them in each of the past three seasons,” Buckley writes. “The price paid is still enormous, and that has to factor into this evaluation. Still, dismissing this deal as an egregious overpay would be a mistake. It might appear unsightly on the back end depending on how things go for the ‘Bockers, but this team is built for the long haul, meaning a lot of the outgoing picks could land somewhere in the back half of the first round.”

To recap, the Nets received Bogdanovic and unprotected first-round picks from the Knicks in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031, along with an unprotected pick swap in 2028. On top of that, the Nets will get a top-four protected pick from the Milwaukee Bucks next year and a 2025 second-round pick.

Essentially, the Knicks have mortgaged their future to have Bridges in a Knicks uniform during his and Jalen Brunson’s primes.

Together, the pair hope to do what they did twice at Villanova: win a championship. If they can do that, then this deal will be worth it in the long run. However, given the fact that this is New York, anything less than at least one championship will make this a failure for the Knicks.

Time will tell, but the Knicks have reason to believe this was the right deal to make at the time.

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