Mikal Bridges trade grades: Knicks make high-risk, high-reward move as Nets’ draft-pick haul expedites rebuild

The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets went more than four decades without making a trade, but their first one since 1983 was worth the wait. Mikal Bridges will be joining former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart on the Knicks. Brooklyn has recovered a monster haul of draft picks including two of their own picks from Houston as well as five total first-rounders from the Knicks plus an unprotected swap. Joining in on the fun, the Rockets took in control of two Suns first-round picks that they hope to redirect for Kevin Durant.

It’s all right to be a little confused, guys. Trades of this magnitude are rare, especially between two teams from the same city. So let’s sort through the wreckage here and figure out where each team stands. Here are our grades for Tuesday night’s blockbuster:

New York Knicks: B+

Let’s get this out of the way. This is a risk. Giving away control of five of your own first-round picks in a seven-year span leaves you incredibly vulnerable. If this goes wrong for whatever reason, there’s no pivot here for the Knicks. Tanking isn’t an option. The roster that is constructed this offseason will be the team for the next handful of years, and there will probably be a few lean years afterward. The Knicks didn’t give all of this up for Kevin Durant, like Phoenix did a few years ago. They gave it up for a player in Bridges who has never been an All-Star. This is an entirely reasonable criticism. This isn’t a perfect trade for the Knicks.

But think about the Boston team that just won the championship. It did so with wings and shooting everywhere. More importantly, think about the teams that have beaten Boston in the recent past. The Celtics struggle with physicality. They historically haven’t done a great job of playing dirty. Time and time again, the Miami Heat have dragged matchups against the Celtics into the mud and beaten them down there. Boston is the standard right now. Beating the Celtics is the goal every team is trying to achieve.

And the Knicks have somehow built a roster that…

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Author : Sam Quinn

Publish date : 2024-06-26 04:20:41

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