Mikal Bridges trade grades: Who won the Knicks - Nets deal?
The New York Knicks might already have the offseason of the summer going with their trade of Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges.
The Bridges trade reunites Bridges with his Villanova teammates, guards Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, giving New York a formidable quartet to help push for a title.
The Nets, however, received a king’s ransom of picks to help rebuild Brooklyn after its super team hopes crashed and burned a couple of years ago.
This really might be the rare trade where both sides are huge winners, so let’s break down how this trade went and why it’s truly beneficial to both sides.
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
Trade details:
The Knicks get: F Mikal Bridges
The Nets get: 4 unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via the Milwaukee Bucks, an unprotected pick swap, a second-round pick and forward Bojan Bogdanović
Jeremy Reper/USA TODAY Sports
New York Knicks
Let’s not waste any time saying what an absolute slam dunk this is for New York. The Knicks got close to making the 2024 NBA Finals this past season, and Bridges rejoining his old Nova buddies gives New York the elite defensive push to help potentially keep a team like the Boston Celtics in check come playoff time. Bridges will join the Knicks with an established chemistry with its stars, and the team will be one of the most purely enjoyable rosters in the NBA to watch play this fall. For a team trying to bring a championship back to the Big Apple, this is the kind of aggressive move you make to get there. This is just a gigantic win for the Knicks.
Trade grade: A
Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports
Brooklyn Nets
Unlike their crosstown compatriots, the Nets are nowhere near contending shape right now, which made sending Bridges out for an absolute haul so enticing. With Bogdanović a likely reroute candidate, Brooklyn can rest easy knowing it got so many first-round picks back from New York to build for the future. Plus, this makes the Kevin Durant trade all the more successful for the Nets, as Bridges was the centerpiece to make that transaction work. The Nets might not be very good next year, but they’ll have a chance to bottom out for a much better 2025 NBA Draft class. With Bridges traded, the rebuild really can begin in Brooklyn.
Trade grade: A