Knicks’ Massive Bet on Mikal Bridges is All About the Celtics

The New York Knicks made a massive bet on Mikal Bridges Tuesday night.

The orange and blue traded four unprotected first-round picks, another protected first-rounder from the Milwaukee Bucks, and a pick swap to get the former Villanova forward on the roster with his old teammates. The basic reasoning is not hard to discern— the Knicks believe they have a window to win with Jalen Brunson as the lead man in an ensemble cast. Bridges, as an elite defender and quality secondary scorer who hasn’t missed a game in four seasons, is a logical final piece who fits perfectly into the puzzle.

More than that, though, the decision to target Bridges in particular (as opposed to more typical big-name Knicks targets, like Donovan Mitchell or Paul George) is about beating one team in particular. The move is all about beating the Boston Celtics.

Which feels like a “no duh” thing, right? Obviously the Knicks, residing in the Eastern Conference, have to gear up in a way suited to taking down the reigning Eastern Conference champions. Any NBA team has to prepare for the next year with the defending champs in mind.

But with this kind of trade package, the Knicks could have gotten pretty much anybody. Few players are untouchable for that many unprotected first-rounders. But Bridges’ skillset is very particularly suited to competing with Boston, which is why the trade feels like an anti-Celtics move as much as it does a pro-Knicks move.

The Celtics enjoyed an overabundance of talent all season long compared to their opponents, and ultimately the primary reason they won the title was because of mismatches. They themselves were mismatch-proof; there was nobody to target on defense, and nobody to leave alone on offense. Conversely, they punished any mismatch presented by their opponent.

It was never more obvious than in the NBA Finals, where Boston relentlessly attacked the Dallas Mavericks’ weaker defenders and zeroed the defense in on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving without much consideration for anybody else. A team is only as strong as its weakest link, as the saying goes, and the Celtics’ entire philosophy is to have no weak links of their own while hammering the opponent’s without letting up for a second. It worked out quite well, obviously.

The Knicks, then, are attempting to build a team with no weak links too. If the franchise manages to re-sign OG Anunoby, the new starting five is nearly as well-rounded as Boston’s. Brunson and Bridges in the backcourt with Anunoby and Julius Randle in the frontcourt alongside Mitchell Robinson is an excellent two-way unit. Brunson is small but competes on defense and Robinson’s shot-blocking counteracts his lack of switchability.

Offensively they can’t start five shooters like Boston, but that’s the secret sauce to the reigning champs— nobody else can match that, either. Starting four shooters with a center who can set screens and crash the boards at an above-average level is as good as it’ll get otherwise, and the Knicks can now trot out several different variations of that lineup.

The way the Celtics have constructed their roster, the only way to beat them straight-up is to come as close to emulating them as possible. That is what the Knicks are doing with the Bridges trade. By adding him instead of a more one-dimensional player, New York can trot out a lineup nearly devoid of weaknesses. That’s why the front office was willing to do whatever it took to land Bridges.

To be the best, you gotta beat the best. And imitation is often the highest form of flattery. The Knicks are embodying both ideals with the Bridges trade.