The Knicks and Nets made the Mikal Bridges trade official on Saturday night.
After spending a season and a half in Brooklyn, Bridges is now set to join his former Villanova teammates and good friends on the other side of town as he looks to help take the Knicks to the next level as a contender.
“We are thrilled to add a player of Mikal’s caliber to the family,” Leon Rose said. “His ability to score, shoot and defense at an elite level will add to a team that continues to grow. Not only does he demonstrate excellence on the court, but Mikal’s strength of character, diligence, and dedication to the game of basketball are vital to the culture we build.”
The 27-year-old forward has been an absolute workhorse over the years, appearing in every game each of the past three seasons, and he’s shot a stellar 38 percent from beyond the arc in his career.
Bridges brings valuable experience to the Knicks and he figures to make their lineup even deeper, potentially providing them with the pieces they need to compete with the Celtics next season.
New York is also acquiring Keita Bates-Diop, the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet, and a future second-rounder as part of the deal in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakite, five future first-round picks, a future pick swap, and a future second-rounder.
Bates-Diop is a former second-round pick who stands at 6-foot-8, but he hasn’t been able to produce much in limited minutes to this point in his career, averaging just 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across six seasons.
If New York doesn’t add a big man before the beginning of the regular season, he could end up seeing time off the bench behind oft-injured center Mitchell Robinson.
“We’re also happy to welcome Keita to New York and we’re happy to add a player of his quality,” Rose added. “We also thank Bojan, Mamadi, and Shake for their contributions on and off the court and wish them all the best moving forward.”
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/knicks-officially-complete-mikal-bridges-011751426.html
Author : SNY
Publish date : 2024-07-07 01:17:51
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.