The Knicks shook up the NBA and shocked their fans on Tuesday, trading a majority of their future draft picks and Bojan Bogdanovic for Mikal Bridges. New York accumulated assets and built their culture for years as many impatiently awaited their “all-in” trade – and now they have it.
With the price for acquiring Bridges – four unprotected first-round picks, plus a first-round swap, protected first-round pick and multiple second-rounders – being so high, it’s fair for fans to question if this was enough to fully push the Knicks into contender status. While they may have traded an MVP-level draft haul for a borderline All-Star-level player, he’s just who they needed to break their 51-year drought.
To prove this out, we should look back to where the team stood last season, analyze what Bridges adds, and try to project what that final picture looks like.
The Knicks fell short in Game 7 of 2024’s second round against the Indiana Pacers, but battled through the postseason without Julius Randle, with multiple other season-ending injuries, including to OG Anunoby in the beginning of that series. There’s a real argument to be made that a fully healthy Knicks squad may have been a contender already.
They went 15-2 with a mostly full rotation in January, stomping numerous contenders and blowing the league away in advanced metrics. Even down multiple rotation pieces, they were one game (or one Andrew Nembhard miracle shot) away from the Conference Finals.
Even if you don’t agree with that assumption, they were flirting with being a top-tier contender, even knocking out the Philadelphia 76ers, as is a ritual for any East powerhouse. But what did they need to push them over the edge?
Some would suggest a proper, MVP-level lead option like Kevin Durant or Joel Embiid. While either would have propelled the team to contention, missing out on them doesn’t disqualify them.
That’s because Jalen Brunson is that guy. If a top-five MVP finish, All-NBA Second Team, 29 and 7 season followed by a shorthanded historic postseason run hasn’t convinced the doubters yet, nothing will.
The real concerns with the team’s roster construction were exposed via the mountain of injuries that hit them.
Randle being forced out of the lineup took away a primary offensive engine that put a lot of creation burden on Brunson and secondary options that ideally should’ve remained as such. Their depth looked pretty good coming into the playoffs, but multiple losses forced them to dig deep in their bench, and robbed them of any flexibility or creativity.
If there was a singular position to improve in the starting five, it would have to be the shooting guard or center spots, with Brunson, Anunoby and Randle as locks. Some believe Randle is the odd man out, but his production is difficult to replicate or find on the open market, and his established tenure with the Knicks and Tom Thibodeau is a major plus.
Bridges upgrades that shooting guard spot, replaces Bogdanovic in the rotation with a much better player and fit, all while providing enough of a boost to creation and defense without taking away from the rest of the roster.
Even in a down year, Bridges nailed 38 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes, and is an extremely underrated off-ball mover and cutter after spending a season-and-a-half running the offense in Brooklyn. He can take that rocky experience to his lesser role, picking his self-creation spots more, against more bench units, and with better spacing and teammates.
Defensively, Bridges took a step back in Brooklyn thanks to his increased offensive workload. But he was an All-Defensive player and second in Defensive Player of the Year voting just two seasons prior, when he was in a complimentary role.
He now gets to take the best of both worlds and bring them to the Knicks. They’ve obviously improved, but how much?
Looking back at last season, even a small jump should put them among the scariest teams in the league. Bridges should provide at least that.
The Knicks now boast arguably the two best 3-and-D wings in the league to surround two potent offensive engines. Pushing Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart to the bench gives the end of their rotation a huge boost, and opens up possibilities for numerous lineup configurations not previously available to them.
Bridges makes them a bit taller at the two and should be a defensive upgrade over DiVincenzo. This leaves Brunson as the only defensive “weak point” in the starting unit, and allows the Knicks to run lineups filled with plus defenders.
A lot will depend on another bout with the injury gods, as well as Isaiah Hartenstein’s free agency and how the Knicks fill out the final spots on the roster. Retaining Anunoby was absolutely crucial, so giving him a max, five-year extension was a necessary and calming move.
But if last year’s Knicks were real, and it’s hard to argue otherwise given their regular season and postseason success relative to their available rosters at the time, adding Bridges shouldn’t be dismissed as a mere stepping stone. New York was knocking at the door of contention, and have now kicked it wide open for the foreseeable future.
Source Agencies
