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Although the Nets knew Mikal Bridges I wanted to be a knickThey had no reason to move him soon.
Bridges is under contract until 2025-26.
So why did Brooklyn trade him (to the Knicks of all places) on Tuesday night?
The Knicks made the Nets an offer they couldn’t refuse, sending a package that included five first-round picks and a swap of first-round picks across the river to land Bridges.
Bridges now reunites with old Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Donte Di Vincenzoand jose hartThe Nets now have an incredible amount of draft capital to start from scratch under their first-year head coach. Jordi Fernandez.
This could be a rare NBA trade where both sides “win.”
The Knicks clearly believe adding Bridges to this core pushes them toward title contention.
But they still have to make some important decisions after the deal.
I G?
As noted last night, this trade does not prevent the Knicks from re-signing OG Anunobi. The club felt they were in a good place with Anunoby entering the offseason and will still do everything they can to re-sign Anunoby in free agency. Anunoby is expected to coordinate a deal that begins — As minimum — to 35 million dollars.
As currently constituted, the Bridges trade will leave the Knicks with a strict limit on the first deck. Therefore, they could not spend more than the 178 million dollars of the first platform, As Yossi Gozlan points out.
But the Knicks and Nets can modify the deal to allow New York the opportunity to send more salary. If the Knicks send more salary in the trade than they receive, they can avoid being limited on the first apron. This would likely require including a third team in the trade.
Doing so would allow New York to exceed that $178 million amount to build the rest of the roster.
They may not have to factor Isaiah Hartensteinthe contract on your payroll. As SNY reported on Tuesday, Hartenstein is expected to receive significant interest from several suitors in free agency.The Knicks are limited in what they can offer Hartenstein.
They can give him a contract for up to $72 million over four years.
Teams with cap space can far exceed that starting salary (approximately $16 million).
How things are today, Hartenstein unlikely to return to New Yorkaccording to SNY sources.
That leaves a big void at center and is something the Knicks will have to address this offseason. They have three first-round picks left to use in potential trades.
The Knicks can also reduce his salary to avoid the first apron’s cap hit by making a trade. michel robinson‘name of has come up in trade talks. But if they were to trade Robinson, the Knicks would need to replace two important players in their rotation in one offseason (Robinson and Hartenstein).
If New York executes the Bridges trade in July, they may include smaller salaried players like Jericho Sims and one of the players with minimum contracts to avoid being limited on the first platform.
MANHATTAN BRIDGE
Both the Knicks and the Nets had known for some time that Bridges ultimately wanted to be a Knick. Did he demand an exchange in the traditional sense? No. But the Nets knew where Bridges was before Tuesday’s trade. It was communicated to them as trade negotiations intensified.
And they were aware that Bridges could basically control where he would be traded by telling teams he planned to sign with the Knicks as a free agent. Bridges’ side planned to do just that, as SNY reported Tuesday night.
Still, the Nets had no obligation to move Bridges anytime soon. They could have let the situation play out this season and next and see if Bridges’ thinking changed.
But the Knicks’ offer was probably by far the best they had received from Bridges. Then the Nets’ top basketball executive Be brands he put aside the optics of helping the Knicks and made the best trade for his team.
The Knicks got the player they had coveted so much, a player who wanted to be in New York to reunite with his teammates.
Did the Knicks give up too much draft capital for Bridges? We won’t know the answer for a few years. If the trade works out well, the Knicks’ picks for the foreseeable future will be toward the end of the first round. And the Knicks have added one of the NBA’s best young wing defenders without having to worry about his fit in the locker room.
“You can’t buy chemistry,” is how one executive put it Tuesday night. Obviously, Bridges will fit right in with the chemistry/culture that has already been established in New York.
AVOIDING THE APRON
Bridges’ contract ($48 million over the next two seasons) is a great value as the salary cap continues to rise. If Brunson decides to sacrifice a significant amount of money by signing his extension this offseasonwill give the Knicks plenty of wiggle room to stay under the team’s dreaded second salary apron.
Starting in 2024-25, teams on the second platform lose access to any mid-level exceptions. They are also prohibited from combining the salaries of multiple players in one trade.
Second-team teams also can’t send cash to help close deals to the finish line; They can’t trade their first-round pick in seven years.
Obviously, this is a spot the Knicks want to avoid. Bridges’ contract should help them do that over the next two seasons. If Brunson signs him to an extension and gives up the money he could earn in free agency, he would put New York in an even better position to avoid that second snout.
