Grading the Knicks' trade for Mikal Bridges

In another surprising blockbuster from Leon Rose, the Knicks finally went all-in with their assets, trading four unprotected first round picks, additional draft capital and Bojan Bogdanovic to the Nets for Mikal Bridges. This move secures New York another two-way wing with All-Star talent, while still maintaining some of its draft picks and all of its core players. 

It also reunited Bridges with his former Villanova teammates, after a year spent watching Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo earn the East’s second seed from across the East River. Now he has a chance to be the definitive piece to take the Knicks from problem to contender.

Let’s grade the trade for the Knicks.

THE GOOD

Just three years ago, Bridges was arguably the third best player on a near-championship team in Phoenix. He has since evolved, but hit some troubles in Brooklyn as a lead option, and now gets a chance to slide back into a smaller role in pursuit of a chip.

Even in a down year for the Nets, Bridges averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists, playing in all 82 games and shooting 37.2 percent from three. He took a step back defensively, but should return to form with easier assignments and less of an offensive burden.

Bridges will likely step into DiVincenzo’s starting two spot, bringing great size for the position at 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan. Offensively, he should mirror him in many ways with the starters, playing as a catch-and-shoot option who can threaten defenses in a multitude of other ways.

Bridges shot 38.5 percent on catch-and-shoot threes -- a solid number that should improve with more spacing and better looks. He’s a difficult shot-maker, able to lock and load out of a sprint in transition and pull-up from range as well.

He’ll also make hay filling in the gaps as a cutter, which was a big part of his game in Phoenix. Bridges gives the Knicks some creation in bench lineups, too, an intriguing part of his game that should translate better than with the Nets given the workload.

Bridges is awesome in transition and shouldn’t demand touches despite the stacked roster, a big plus over other potential stars the Knicks could have theoretically acquired. If the defense picks up like it should, New York has a real added weapon here.

One thing made further evident during last year’s postseason is the importance of depth and wing talent -- two things the Knicks just upgraded materially with this trade. They’re now poised to match up well with the champion Boston Celtics should they re-sign their free agents and fill out the roster as needed.

Bridges opens up some new flexibility for the Knicks, too. Head coach Tom Thibodeau can now go five out with Brunson, Bridges, Hart, Anunoby and Julius Randle, or go with another interesting concoction. 

THE BAD

It’s impossible to know what opportunities were truly out there for the Knicks. This was a huge package they sent Brooklyn’s way, and for a guy who isn’t considered among the NBA’s superstars -- supposedly the tier New York was targeting for years with all its draft capital.

They kept all their 2024 picks, one of which can be flipped for a future pick, but outside of them only have a protected Pistons 2025 first, their own 2026 first, a swap in 2028, and their first in 2030. New York may not have emptied its war chest, but gave it a good spring cleaning. 

That ammo may not matter much now as they plan on contending, but Bridges doesn’t guarantee that. He’s no franchise-altering savior. In fact, if not for the haul to get him, there’s a decent argument to bring him off the bench as a sixth man.

While Bridges can conceivably provide some doses of self-creation, he’ll largely be a high-end 3-and-D guy, with offensive generation falling on Brunson and Randle again. That means if one goes down, the Knicks may be in better position than last year, but they could still be in trouble. 

There’s also the unlikely chance that Bridges doesn’t return to form. He’s had a season and a half as a lead on-ball creator and the transition back could be rocky. 

THE GRADE: A-

You can’t completely judge a trade until years after its full effects have become known. That said, today’s league has rewarded teams for making big, definitive pushes for talent via the trade market, and the Knicks did just that.

Not only did they beef up their rotation and generate a terrifying wing rotation, but they did so by acquiring the one guy who was a perfect fit on the court and in the locker room. They’ll ultimately be judged on whether or not it delivers them a championship, but in the meantime, it feels like they’re now the closest they’ve been in a while to doing so.