Getty Josh Hart walking off the floor after Game Two against the Indiana Pacers on May 8.
The offseason won’t begin until the NBA Finals concludes, but Mikal Bridges is addressing his agenda early. He’s on social media urging Josh Hart to leave the New York Knicks and join the Brooklyn Nets.
Bridges left a comment under Hart’s latest Instagram post. “Come to the Nets?” wrote the Nets forward on June 10.
Hart’s post features a photo of him on set as a guest on ABC’s Finals coverage with the caption “Might quit my day job.”
He shot down Bridges’ proposal, and made fun of him in the process.
“Are you ok? If they have you hostage just blink and we’ll save you,” Hart replied.
The two are former college teammates at University of Villanova. Much has been made of New York assembling a former Wildcats core in Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Hart.
Many expect a trade for Bridges to follow. But it appears his heart is set on the Nets, for now, with his failed recruitment pitch to Hart.
Is a Bridges-Knicks Trade Inevitable?
Bridges may be pitching Hart on the idea of Brooklyn online, but it’s equally likely he’s simply set on joining his college teammates across the bridge on the Knicks.
He’s coming off of his first full season with the Nets, after the Phoenix Suns traded him for Kevin Durant in 2022.
Bridges averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1 steal per game this season. And he played in 82 of 82 possible games, a quality that could prove endearing to New York head coach Tom Thibodeau.
The former 10th overall pick is constantly mocked to the Knicks in trade proposals. But what New York would give up for Bridges is rarely consistent between them.
As of June 10, the latest of such proposals comes from Dan Favale of Bleacher Report. He has Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, along with draft compensation, going to Brooklyn.
Other proposals see Julius Randle going out in a player-for-player swap for Bridges.
What it would take to pry the 29-year-old from the Nets hasn’t been reported on. Nor has any willingness from Brooklyn to part with him. But his connection with this Knicks core means it will continue to be a topic of discussion.
Bridges isn’t helping with his social media comments.
Begley: Any Player Outside of Brunson Available
New York no doubt feels they had a legitimate NBA Finals bid if Randle was healthy. They’ll navigate the offseason with that in mind.
Ian Begley of SNY reported the likelihood that almost any player not named Brunson could be available.
“My read is that any player outside of Brunson would be available in the right trade, as you’d expect,” Begley wrote on June 7.
Begley mentions this in discussions on a potential trade for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Fred Katz of The Athletic previously reported on New York’s willingness to move Randle in the right deal.
“The Knicks are not trying to trade Randle,” Katz wrote on May 24. “But they recognize that their quest for a star could require having to do so. If a suitable target does not pop up this summer, then they could turn their eyes to the 2025 trade deadline, hoping to land one then.”
It seems the Knicks understand that a blockbuster trade will require an equivalent sacrifice. Whether they deem Bridges a potential “blockbuster” acquisition remains to be seen.
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