Getty Mikal Bridges during a March 4 game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The New York Knicks took the NBA offseason by storm, trading for Brooklyn Nets‘ star Mikal Bridges. But in seven days since the deal was reported, it’s yet to be finalized.
Keith Smith of Spotrac offered some insight as to why Bridges hasn’t been announced a Knick in a series of tweets.
First, he offered that teams across the league are working to group previously independent trades into larger transactions.
Talking to some teams tonight and it sounds like what’s being worked on now is expanding some of the previously agreed upon trades. There are also talks of tying some deals together into bigger deals.
Essentially, teams are trying to find ways to make mutually beneficial trades.
“Talking to some teams tonight and it sounds like what’s being worked on now is expanding some of the previously agreed upon trades. There are also talks of tying some deals together into bigger deals,” Smith tweeted on July 3. “Essentially, teams are trying to find ways to make mutually beneficial trades.”
He added that the Bridges deal is “one of the deals” that has been mentioned in those conversations.
“This is one of the deals that has been talked about being expanded,” Smith replied.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first with reports of the trade between Brooklyn and New York.
BREAKING: The Brooklyn Nets have agreed in principle on a trade to send F Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via Bucks, an unprotected pick swap and a second-rounder, sources tell ESPN.
Bridges is coming off of his sixth NBA campaign, and his second with the Nets.
He averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in 82 appearances with Brooklyn.
Knicks ‘Not Itching’ to Trade Miles McBride for Mikal Bridges
SNY’s Ian Begley previously speculated that the Knicks could include backup guard Miles McBride in the deal for Bridges.
“Immediately after the deal, the Knicks felt that there would be feasible ways to avoid the first apron hard-cap,” Begley wrote on June 28. “They can do so by trading Miles McBride ($4.7 million salary for 2024-25) or signing and trading either Alec Burks or Precious Achiuwa, per Yossi Gozlan (who is a great resource for salary cap details).”
It’s a move that would have helped them avoid the first apron, a threshold they couldn’t have reached and coincidingly re-signed center Isaiah Hartenstein.
Fred Katz of The Athletic reported that the Knicks didn’t want to include McBride in the blockbuster trade.
“The team discussed the possibility of including Miles McBride in the Bridges trade, according to league sources — and not because they are itching to trade away a 23-year-old fireball on a minuscule contract,” Katz wrote on June 27.
But the 2023 starter departed for the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency. So, New York’s priorities have likely shifted, while their insistence on keeping McBride has not.
New York to Sign-And-Trade Precious Achiuwa?
Among the three options mentioned by Begley as salary inclusions, McBride seems unlikely. And veteran guard Alec Burks has departed the Knicks for the Miami Heat in free agency.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first with reports.
Free agent G/F Alec Burks has agreed on a one-year deal with the Miami Heat, sources tell ESPN.
“Free agent G/F Alec Burks has agreed on a one-year deal with the Miami Heat, sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski tweeted on July 3.
That would leave fourth-year forward Precious Achiuwa as the remaining option from Begley’s list. Coincidentally, word began spreading that he is heading to Brooklyn after a tweet from Nets Daily.
After talking to various NBA types, betting is that the “player to be named later” in Bridges trade will likely be Precious Achiwura. Nothing official just educated guesses.
“After talking to various NBA types, betting is that the “player to be named later” in Bridges trade will likely be Precious Achiwura,” they tweeted on July 3. “Nothing official just educated guesses.”
Achiuwa is an unrestricted free agent, so he would have to agree to a contract with the Nets, and to arrive there via sign-and-trade.
He arrived in New York as an addition to the midseason trade for OG Anunoby with the Toronto Raptors. Achiuwa averaged 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 49 regular-season games with the Knicks.