Mikal Bridges is a perfect fit as the Knicks chase elusive title
The names have been listed and debated for years: Which superstar should the Knicks pursue?
Whether it was the nearly two decades-long wishing for LeBron James to come to Madison Square Garden, the chase of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving that preceded the current front office or the near miss at Donovan Mitchell and whispers that someday the collection of assets would turn into Paul George, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid.
But when the Knicks finally pulled the trigger late Tuesday night, it was a huge package of draft assets heading across the river to Brooklyn in exchange for Mikal Bridges, a player who has never been an All-Star in his six NBA seasons. While it may have doubters shaking their heads, the move fits exactly with what the team has been creating over the course of the Leon Rose front office and Bridges is exactly the sort of piece the Knicks needed to continue their chase of a long-elusive championship.
What the Knicks proved in the just-completed season was that this is Jalen Brunson’s team and all of the machinations of the front office are done with that in mind, complementing the MVP candidate they already have in place. That three of those pieces — Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and now Bridges — just happen to be his close friends who already teamed up for an NCAA title at Villanova is just a reflection of the friends and family vibe the Knicks have clung to in assembling this roster.
It’s not just a Villanova reunion though. These pieces all fit with Brunson and maybe just as important, with Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. There is still work to be done — but the Knicks took care of the most pressing issue Wednesday, securing a long-term deal with their own free agent, OG Anunoby, as the sides agreed on a five-year, $212.5 million deal. But every player the Knicks have put in place are hard-nosed players, more blue collar than high-maintenance type of players.
As soon as the deal was broken on social media, Hart posted on X, “Yo, we [expletive] lit.” Brunson chimed in with “OMG.” And after Miami’s Bam Adebayo directed a comment to the pair, “Y’all was tampering,” they both joked that they should be allowed to celebrate in peace.
Julius Randle was the star here, but when the pieces began to click into place last season, he began to change his game. The Knicks put together a 12-2 record and blew out Denver, Boston and Philadelphia before he and Anunoby were injured. And he has expressed a desire to be a part of what the franchise has put together.
“I’ve always said from the very beginning I would love to be here in New York and I would love to continue to add on to what the guys did in the playoffs,” Randle said last month. “I feel like that was my biggest personal goal or I’d say team goal in a sense, was when I got here is to be able to build and compete and to be at the point where we’re at now, where it’s an actual possibility. So really, that’s what my focus is, doing whatever I can to make sure I get healthy and get back and make sure I’m ready whenever we start playing again, contribute to winning.”
Now, the job is putting all of these pieces together and that falls to Thibodeau. The Knicks milked every ounce of production from the likes of Brunson, DiVincenzo and Hart this season as injuries meant long minutes and a heavy workload.
With Anunoby returning, Thibodeau has a deep and versatile group to pick from. The most likely scenario would be Hart and DiVincenzo moving to the second unit — a role that they have excelled in at other times in their careers.
The price the Knicks paid for Bridges would mean he isn’t going to be a sixth man, so pencil him in as a starting wing along with Anunoby, while Brunson and Randle provide the Knicks with offensive standouts who demand a double team from opposing defenses. The trade now provides further limitations on the ability to sign Isaiah Hartenstein back in the middle — already restricted to a four-year, $72.5 million as a top offer even before they hit the hard cap with this trade.
But that is the luxury of a player like Bridges joining on. He is a multi-positional defender who is better served working off the ball instead of the star role the Nets needed him to be on offense. Thibodeau has preached a willingness for players to do their job, play their role and a belief that the next man up can do the job, too.
Now Thibodeau can juggle all sorts of combinations with wing defenders in Bridges and Anunoby (as well as DiVincenzo and Hart) who can contend with any star, particularly Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston — the first team the Knicks need to surpass to get the franchise its first title since 1973.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.