Grades and Fallout For Knicks, Nets, Rockets After Blockbuster Mikal Bridges Trade

Mikal BridgesDavid Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

This move is as win-now as win-now moves get.

Two years ago, fresh off a fringe All-NBA campaign, Gobert was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Walker Kessler, veterans who turned out to be salary filler (Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt have all since moved on from the Utah Jazz), Leandro Bolmaro, four first-round picks and a first-round pick swap.

Much of the internet (fans and analysts alike) then proceeded to lose its collective mind over the “overpay,” but Gobert helped Minnesota make the conference finals and won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year this season.

It’s hard to imagine that kind of individual upside for Bridges, but New York can make the Eastern Conference Finals. Had they not been ravaged by injuries in the playoffs, they may have made it there in 2024, and Bridges undoubtedly makes them better in the short term.

That’s pretty obvious when you just compare he and Bogdanović in a vacuum. The latter was almost completely out of the Knicks’ playoff rotation before he got swallowed up by the wave of injuries that hit New York. Bridges, on the other hand, is coming off averages of 21.2 points, 3.4 assists and 2.6 threes in his season and change with the Nets.

His efficiency took a big hit there, but he’s better suited to play alongside Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart in New York, and not just because they were teammates in college.

Since he was acquired by Brooklyn, we’ve learned that Bridges is much more of a complementary player than a lead one. And New York has one of the fastest-rising leading scorers and playmakers in the league in Brunson. Surrounding him with as much length, toughness, defense and shooting as possible is a smart approach, and Bridges fits that perfectly.

If New York can re-sign OG Anunoby (something it’s still angling for), the versatility and switchability the Knicks will have at the forward spots will be the envy of much of the East. And it could make them the likeliest potential foil for the reigning champion Boston Celtics.

Still, that price tag. That’s, uh, crazy.

Even the most seasoned residents of Mikal Island would have to concede top-40 status is probably pushing it for him. In reality, he’s probably one of the 50-60 best players in the league. And the Knicks just sent the Nets the kind of package typically reserved for superstars.

They can argue they’re in a unique position to surrender more than most. There were similar arguments made in support of the Timberwolves after the Gobert deal. But there are plenty of future timelines in which all those picks being gone comes back to haunt New York.

In the short term, this is a clear win, but there is massive potential downside here.