The New York Knicks are coming off an impressive regular season, finishing as the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a 50-32 record. They advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the second consecutive year but were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in Game 7.
.@nyknicks acquire Mikal Bridges and Keita Bates-Diop pic.twitter.com/Oz4hrxE60k
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) July 7, 2024
On Saturday, the Knicks officially announced a major trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
According to Knicks PR: “The New York Knicks announced today that the team has acquired Mikal Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet, and a future second-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton, five future first-round picks, a future pick swap, and a future second-round pick.” Bridges, the 10th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has played six seasons with the Phoenix Suns and Nets.
Mikal Bridges is a Knick! 🔒 pic.twitter.com/LcoFx6sfn9
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) July 7, 2024
His career averages include 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, with shooting percentages of 48.0% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range over 474 regular-season games. He has also appeared in 39 playoff games and was part of the Suns’ 2021 NBA Finals run, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
Mikal Bridges is officially a Knick 🔥 pic.twitter.com/B5WGhaRSMC
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) July 7, 2024
Bridges was college teammates with Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, and Donte DiVincenzo, which is expected to result in immediate chemistry. While the Nets are likely to be one of the worst teams in the NBA next season, they have committed to a rebuilding strategy, accumulating an abundance of first-round picks for the future.
