How The Mikal Bridges Makes the Knicks a Formidable Team

The Mikal Bridges Knicks trade loomed as a rumor during the 2024 best-of-seven series when the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks in the semifinal stage. It started with the owner of the Brooklyn Nets, Joe Tsai, expressing his desire to take a long-term approach and build a sustainable winning culture from scratch using youngsters.

Though the Knicks and Nets have a history of not coming to a mutual agreement during offseason negotiations, this Tuesday night trade surprised the NBA world. The Knicks offer was a no-brainer, as the club showered the Nets with many future draft picks and swaps with Bojan Bogdanovic.

Thus, was this trade worth it or not?

Photo byMarkus SpiskeonUnsplash

The Proposed New York Knicks Roster

The Knicks franchise’s offseason plans are still in progress as they desire to sign OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein. Why is everything taking so long?

Now that the New York Knicks agreed with the Brooklyn Nets to sign Mikal Bridges, it could be challenging to sign Anunoby and Hartenstein on favorable terms, especially Hartenstein. However, if the Knicks settle these players this is how the team's lineup would look.

Jalen Brunson (PG), Mikal Bridges (F), OG Anunoby (SG), Julius Randle (PF), and Isaiah Hartenstein (C) are the team’s starting five. Then, Josh Hart (SG), Miles McBride (PG), Donte DiVincenzo (PG), and Mitchell Robinson (C) will be key parts of the rotation.

How the Mikal Bridges Knicks Trade Is Worthwhile

The New York Knicks piled up lofty injury reports during the 2023-24 regular and playoff season from vital players. Some of these players were Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson.

Due to the Knicks’ playing style, the injury reports bestowed a heavy burden on available players offensively and defensively, which made the team imbalanced. Thus, this Mikal Bridges trade to the Knicks should help balance the team because of the unique talent he brings to the court.

Bridges, 27, is a good 3-and-D player. Thus, if the Knicks offer a favorable contract to OG Anunoby, they will have more 3-and-D players to make their roster flexible and fluid.

Bridges Is The Final Piece

The Knicks franchise sees Mikal Bridges as the missing piece that would make the team a true title contender. Why is that?

The club wants to build around their star, Jalen Brunson, to ease the offensive pressure on him. Therefore, a player that can shoot from field and behind the arc is ideal and this is what Mikal Bridges brings to the court. Throughout his career, he’s averaged 48% from the field and 37.5% from downtown.

Mikal Bridges also plays good defense which could ease the pressure on the defensive end to allow Jalen Brunson’s offensive impact to improve the team’s performance. Also, combining Bridges with Julius Randle could be the ultimate defense of the Knicks, coupled with good rim protectors.

What Could Make The Bridges Trade Futile

The chances of this trade being worthless are as slim as a needle’s eye. Why? Bridges' NBA career over the years guarantees his availability. He is known as the Iron Man of the NBA league because he played most of the games in his career. If not all.

Bridges is a good player who could perform well as a supportive player. Therefore, if the Knicks experience a lack of player availability from vital players his presence makes the roster fluid and flexible.

Also, Bridges eases the uncertainty of the outlook of the team if they lose some vital players like OG Anunoby and Julius Randle. Finally, the prevailing belief is Head Coach Tom Thibodeau's style is rigid, which is why the Knicks suffered from many injury reports that affected the team’s performance. However, with Bridges on the roster, Thibodeau could be more flexible with how he uses his players during the regular season.

Final Thoughts

Mikal Bridges being traded to the Knicks is more of a blessing than a curse to the franchise. Though the club gave out many future draft picks that could support the future of the team’s roster, Bridges is a better long-term deal.

It’s official! Bridges will join the Villanova brothers and contend for the NBA title next season and beyond. With this development, it is evident that the Boston Celtics team dynamic is gradually influencing the NBA league.

About the Author

Wisdom is an email and brand copywriter with two years of content writing experience. He started Cloud Kitchen Concept to help startups and business owners elevate their brands from good to great. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and Instagram to enjoy cooked meals for your business’s growth.

For More Great Content

Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.