Just one day before the first round of Wednesday’s NBA draft and mere hours before the draft officially began, the New York Knicks flooded headlines with a risky move that the Knicks hope will lead to a championship. Making a bold statement that they are here to play, the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets this past Tuesday.
To help secure Bridges, Tuesday’s deal saw the Brooklyn Nets receiving a staggering five future first-round picks (New York’s unprotected selections in 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031 plus Milwaukee’s 2025 pick, protected for picks 1-4), as well as an unprotected 2028 pick swap and Bojan Bogdanović. While this massive trade package for a player yet to have ever been an All-Star may seem mind-boggling, not in the context of what Bridges has to add regarding elite perimeter defense, shooting, and secondary creation to the current Knicks team, specifically when it comes to joining one current Knicks player: OG Anunoby.
At the time of the Bridges deal, the Knicks had yet to solidify Anunoby remaining with the team, which was key to generating maximum benefits from Tuesday’s deal. Had the Knicks somehow lost Anunoby, the team would have just traded five first-round picks plus RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley (to Toronto for Anunoby), all for Bridges, who would have effectively served as a replacement for Anunoby and stagnated the Knicks from moving any closer to a potential championship than they already stood.
But chances were on the Knicks’ side.
The following day, after the Bridges deal, the Knicks reached a five-year, $212 million deal with Anunoby to remain with the team.
With championship windows opening and shutting quickly, the Knicks looked at their current roster of Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, and Donte DiVincenzo and decided that acquiring Bridges and retaining Anunoby at a high price, both financially and in terms of the assets the team has given up, was worth the risk to try and win the franchise’s first championship since 1973.
These early moves, ahead of the NBA free agency, which started on Sunday, send a strong message: that the Knicks are taking big risks with the goal of getting back big rewards, making clear their target is the NBA championships this season. For those raising an eyebrow at the Knicks’ moves, NBA history may change your mind. Look at Adam Silver’s NBA. When Boston defeated Dallas for the title on June 17, it marked the sixth consecutive season with a different champion.
Certainly, heading into the NBA free agency with the Bridges deal under their belt, The Knicks have pushed forward as one of the few teams that can match the Celtics’ design of multiple elite perimeter defenders funneling scorers toward an elite rim protector. With Bridges now joining Anunoby and the rest of the team, it is hard to overstate how much the Knicks have elevated an already strong team.
New York has continued to do good work in the draft, trading for a handful of second-round picks that provided them with more financial flexibility, seeing how their payroll is set to swell when Bridges and Brunson come due for extensions.
