Mikal Bridges traded to Knicks: Ex-Villanova star acquired for five first-round picks in blockbuster with Nets

The Brooklyn Nets are trading star forward Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for a monster trade package, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, the Knicks will send the Nets a protected 2025 first-round pick from the Bucks in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031, along with an unprotected 2028 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick. , Bojan Bogdanovic will also be included in the deal as part of an equal salary.

According to Wojnarowski, as a secondary deal related to this, the Nets have also agreed to a trade with the Houston Rockets that would have given the Nets their first-round pick in 2026 in exchange for the originally related 2027 first-round swap. Will bring back the round pick. Phoenix Suns. The Rockets have also acquired the right to swap whoever’s first-round pick in 2025, which would be either their own or Oklahoma City’s, with Phoenix, which belonged to the Nets. In exchange, Houston gave up its right to swap that pick with Brooklyn in 2025, allowing the Nets to retain control of their picks for the next two years. According to Wojnarowski, the Rockets are attempting to use those Suns picks to trade for Kevin Durant, though Phoenix has resisted so far.

Bridges completes New York’s group of former Villanova stars. The Knicks had already recruited Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart from Villanova’s two championship teams at the end of the last decade. Now, they add Bridges, a star defender and shooter who has improved significantly as a shot-creator recently, to the equation. With Julius Randle still on the team and New York likely to re-sign OG Anunoby, the Knicks have now become one of the favorites for the 2025 championship. SNY’s Ian Begley reported that Anunoby remains a “priority” for the team.

Begley also reported that the deal fell through immediately after Bridges informed the Nets that he wanted to be a Knick and was willing to use that leverage to prevent other teams from trading for him. Bridges has been a target of the Knicks for years because of his Villanova connection and now he’s connecting with his former teammates.

“This is crazy,” Bridges tweeted late Tuesday night after the news broke.

The Knicks have now created some payroll issues by making this trade. Because they withdrew more money than they sent, they are now hard-capped at the first apron, which is estimated to come in at $178.7 million. This will make it harder for them to re-sign Anunoby and Hartenstein, but it’s likely the Knicks will save money elsewhere to help them do so. For example, Mitchell Robinson has been in trade rumors recently, and if the Knicks can find someone to take on his salary, they could redirect that money toward their free agents. However, according to Begley, it looks “increasingly unlikely” that the Knicks are able to re-sign Hartenstein as they are limited to an offer of approximately $72.5 million due to his Early Bird Rights. Other teams can offer him far more and expect him to be a top target in the center market.

Meanwhile, the Nets began one of the most asset-rich rebuilds in NBA history. After spending the last several years without control over his picks, he now has a two-year tank window thanks to the pick back from Houston. They also control New York’s draft for the foreseeable future and still have picks coming from the Suns. Their overall WAR stock has also been boosted by the selections from Dallas and Philadelphia, giving the Nets an incredibly deep portfolio. Now, only the Thunder can compete with the Nets in terms of selection from other teams.

But the story of the night here is that the Knicks have not only brought together all of Villanova’s old stars, but have prepared themselves to become the Boston Celtics’ primary rival in the Eastern Conference. Injuries kept New York from challenging Boston in the playoffs, but the Knicks and Celtics are now set to be the two Eastern Conference favorites next season.