MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 10: Mikal Bridges #1 of the Brooklyn Nets celebrates his three-point basket ... [+]
On the Eve of the 2024 NBA Draft, the neighboring New York Teams agreed on a blockbuster deal that showed one team going all in, and another completely punting on next season.
But did the Knicks, desperate to break their 52-year championship drought, overpay for this win-now window?
In case you missed it, the Brooklyn Nets traded Mikal Bridges and a second-round pick to the New York Knicks for five first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, a second-round pick, and Bojan Bogdanovic. The details of the draft picks coming to Brooklyn are as follows:
2025: top-four projected first-round pick via MIL
2025: unprotected first-round pick
2025: second-round pick
2027: unprotected first-round pick
2028: unprotected pick swap with NYK
2029: unprotected first-round pick
2031: unprotected first-round pick
And to think the Villanova Knicks’ core used to play together just for the price of tuition.
Mikal Bridges was a fan-favorite in his 2-year stint with the Brooklyn Nets, despite having to fill the shoes unexpectedly of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who just two years prior were a shoe size away from winning their first championship in NBA franchise history.
Outside of Brides being one of the best 3-and-D players in the league, fans rallied around his unique ability to be on the floor every day, loved his attitude on and off the court, and especially enjoyed his three-point celebration.
Coming off a duo that only played 74 games together to a player with an Iron Man streak like Bridges was a welcome sight. And for Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, it may just be a match made in Heaven.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 04: The Villanova Wildcats celebrate defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels ... [+]
Outside of the obvious compiling of former Villanova Wildcats, the Knicks have now brought together a team that displays the epitome of hustle.
Last season, the Knicks ranked first in offensive rebounding, 2nd in points allowed and field goal attempts allowed, and top-5 in other categories like total rebounds, steals, and shot attempts inside the paint. These all came with Julius Randle only playing about half of the regular season.
Despite the injuries to Randle and other depth options, the Knicks made a deep run in the 2023-24 playoffs, all while Jalen Brunson proved he could lead a team in the postseason.
While most spectators would agree that if you were to play the Pacers-Knicks series 10 more times, the Knicks would win a disproportionate amount of those series, and at the very least have put up a better fight against the Boston Celtics.
Unless another significant move is in the works, the Knicks trust this logic enough so that bringing in Bridges to round out their starting five, getting a healthy Randle back, and allowing recently re-signed OG Anunoby to get a full offseason with the team makes them the biggest threat for Boston in the East.
And with Bridges averaging 19.6 points per game on a .521 effective field goal percentage in his first season as the primary option, all on a team-friendly $23.3 million cap hit this upcoming season, Bridges could significantly improve the Knicks on both ends of the floor.
That said, the price tag typically fit for a number 2 option may have been too much to give for another quality role player, which New York may now have too many of.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 14: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks celebrates his three point ... [+]
While it may seem like an oxymoron that having too many quality role players is a bad thing, New York is gambling on Randle to return to his 24-point-per-game pace next season.
Even if Randle were able to do this, Bridges would seemingly be the third option in this role, but even that is not guaranteed. Donte DiVincenzo, Anunoby, and Josh Hart all took significant steps up this past postseason, so it is no guarantee that Bridges will even see the similar role he received in Phoenix.
Regardless, this number of draft picks for someone who has a ceiling to his role on the team, and who did not seem to have an active market after Brookyln claimed to be turning away trade offers for their centerpiece, was an aggressive move to say the least.
So, while the ultimate trump card to the “winners and losers” of a trade is winning games, for Brooklyn just regaining their lost draft picks would have been enough of a win. Let alone gaining additional picks and for the first time since the early 2000’s having a direction for homegrown talent makes this move a slam dunk.
In the course of one deal, the Nets significantly increased their draft capital in a much more favorable draft class than the young talent we saw last night.
The Nets were also able to bring back their lost draft picks from the Houston Rockets, which Houston received in the James Harden trade. Those draft picks, a 2025 and 2026 first-round pick, were returned to their rightful owner in exchange for 2025 rights to swap their first-round pick with the Thunder, the Sun’s 2027 first-round pick, and the rights to the two most favorable first-round picks between the Mavs, Suns or Rockets in 2029.
Just a day after these franchise-altering moves, the Nets were able to bring back Nic Claxton on a 4-year, $100 million deal. This move not only locks one of the best young rim protectors in the NBA but also allows former first-round pick Noah Clowney to stay at the power forward position for his development.
While it may not be a fun product to watch next season, Nets faithful should be excited for what the future holds in Brooklyn. The Knicks in pursuit of their championship window may have finally given the Nets a chance to build a franchise with sustained success, which could for once begin to split the loyalty of basketball fandoms in New York City.
