It’s been something of a third rail inside the New York Knicks‘ MSG offices, the one reality that no one really wants to touch with the current iteration of a high-priced and thus far disappointing collection of players. While two of the top offensive players on the roster–guard Jalen Brunson and big man Karl-Anthony Towns–have taken plenty of heat while the Knicks have slid into a 2-1 holes in their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, the one player who might be most to blame could see his future in New York severely altered if things don’t change, drastically and quickly.
That would be Mikal Bridges, who wrapped up Game 3 in Atlanta with no points in 21 minutes on 0-for-3 shooting, with four turnovers being his primary box score contribution. Bridges was a minus-26 on the night, and was benched for the final nine minutes of the fourth quarter.
In what has been a rocky and inconsistent season for Bridges, Game 3 might well have been his rock bottom.
Knicks ‘Not Thinking About’ Benching Mikal Bridges
Now, what do the Knicks do about it? Addressing the possibility of swapping out Bridges for Miles McBride in the lineup after McBride clearly outplayed Bridges on Thursday, coach Mike Brown was noncommittal.
“I’m not even thinking about that right now. But in the same breath, I’ve said it before, like you said, we have to look at everything,” Brown said. “But I’m thinking still about the game and what we could’ve done better and all that other stuff before we get into that.”
Knicks Must ‘Find Their Way Out’
But one Eastern Conference executive tells Heavy that the Knicks’ patience with Bridges has just about run up. New York coughed up four first-round picks and a swap for Bridges, and paid him a $150 million extension last summer, and because of that, the team has been delicate with the prospect of sitting Bridges or including him in trade chatter.
But that may soon change–certainly, if the Knicks lose this series to the Hawks, but maybe even if they do advance.
“They have to find their way out of that and the tough thing is, they’ve got to do it on two levels,” the executive said. “On the floor, you’ve got to change his role, and no one wants to do that on the fly in the playoffs. But if you keep starting him and you keep playing him, then what is the message you’re sending the other players? You’re telling them all that playing time is tied to your contract. And maybe they already crossed that bridge, maybe that’s already the message since they won’t bench the guy.”
Trading Low on Mikal Bridges
But it could go beyond that for the Knicks. Bridges would be prime trade bait if the Knicks were to put him on the market this summer. They would not recoup the draft picks they sent to Brooklyn to get Bridges, but they can add players who can help their roster.
Bridges is not an easy trade candidate, though. His extension kicks in next season, at $33 million in the first year. And his struggles have battered his trade value. But there will be enough interested parties to who still remember Bridges as one of the better two-way players in the league to conjure up a worthwhile package.
Said the exec: “All the firsts you gave up for him, I am not sure they would get one first-rounder in return if they move him. It’s probably a player-for-player deal. But they have to do something there, all their other situations they can figure out, but this one, they need to do something. It’s a bench-and-trade kind of thing.”
Knicks Face ‘Bench and Trade’ Option for Emerging Playoff Scapegoat: Exec