Why would the Nets trade Mikal Bridges to the crosstown rival Knicks?
Nets forward Mikal Bridges reacts against the Knicks in the second half of an NBA game at Barclays Center on Jan. 23. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Nets were adamant about not trading Mikal Bridges. They reportedly turned down offers from the Grizzlies and Rockets offering multiple first-round picks.
So why now? Why was Tuesday — the day before the NBA Draft — the right time to trade him? And of all teams, why trade him across the East River to the Knicks?
Some of the answers won’t be found for at least a year. But here’s what we know.
This deal feels like the Nets knew 2024-25 was a bridge year. A season where they’d likely have the same core roster without significant improvements — unless Ben Simmons somehow stayed healthy.
So if this team wasn’t going anywhere the next 12 months, perhaps backward is better than stagnant. The Nets had to choose whether to stick with Bridges and dream of another superstar to pair with him or blow it up and rebuild.
They chose the latter. But why gift the Knicks your best player in the first trade the teams have made since 1983?
A simple answer: friendship and a sweet deal. The Knicks offered seven picks, including five first-rounders, along with Bojan Bogdanovic. That’s more first-rounders than the reported four the Grizzlies offered the Nets in 2023, per HoopsHype.
Obviously, Bridges gets to play with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo on the Knicks. So maybe the Nets saw a good offer and chose to do Bridges a solid.
The crowd at Barclays Center often lacked energy after the All-Star break last season. That will continue next season when the Nets have even less star power.
Instead of contending for a play-in tournament spot, they’ll contend for the bottom of the Eastern Conference. It’s reminiscent of 2015-18 when the Nets had three consecutive 30-win seasons.
It also could have ripple effects on the rest of the team. Who else could be on the trading block? What trades could happen during the draft or free agency?
One thing that’s for sure. Nic Claxton will return as multiple reports Wednesday indicated he will sign a four-year, $100 million contract. It was mostly expected but now it gives the Nets another player to build around during this new era.
“I’ve learned a lot from every single year,” Claxton said of his Nets tenure in April. “I’ve taken something and I’ve grown from that, and at the end of the day that’s all you can do as a human being. Hopefully the best is yet to come.”
Claxton, who has seen a lot in his first five seasons, spoke highly of the Nets and their fans in April. Yet as a first-time free agent, the decision was harder now than it was when the season ended two months ago.
“Business is business and I have to weigh my options,” Claxton said then. “It’ll be my decision at the end of the day. So I just have to talk with my family, my agent, pray about it, and see if that’s the best fit.”
Maybe it’s hope the rebuild isn’t long. Maybe general manager Sean Marks sees flashbacks to how those three bad years turned into a playoff team in 2018-19.
That’s what he referred to in April thinking about the Nets’ future.
“You never know how your players are going to take that leap, some take it quicker than others,” Marks said. “So, the hope with some of these guys on this roster is that they can take that leap maybe quicker than us. I never want to limit them to that.”
Now all eyes shift to 2025 and beyond. The Nets have four first-round picks in the 2025 draft, a deep class headlined by Duke freshman Cooper Flagg and Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey. They have 16 first-round picks from 2025 to 2031, which sets up well to restock the roster either via the draft or potential trades.
The Nets also have plenty of cap space available next summer, possibly up to $100 million. Simmons, Dennis Schroder and Bogdanovic are among the players on expiring contracts.
But all that money and picks represent hope, not guarantees. The only guarantee is next season could be rough sailing at 620 Atlantic Avenue.
Why did the Nets choose this path? Time will tell, but right now it’s hard to tell how it made them better in the short term while the Knicks dream of a potential Finals run.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.