The New York Knicks have a Mikal Bridges problem. The veteran wing has started the season slowly, shooting under 30% from deep and under 35% from the field.
For a Knicks team that came into the season looking to defend its NBA title, Bridges’ struggles to begin the campaign have been far from ideal. In fact, given the Knicks’ current cap situation, the front office may feel now is the right time to explore ways of moving on from Bridges to add some fresh faces to the roster.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes has proposed a trade that would send Bridges to the Los Angeles Clippers. The full proposal looks like this:
New York Knicks Get: Max Strus and Derrick Jones Jr.
Los Angeles Clippers Get: Mikal Bridges, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick via the Washington Wizards.
“If Bridges doesn’t shake out of his brutal early-season slump, it’ll be easy to argue that Strus and Derrick Jones Jr. actually improve the Knicks in the short term,” Hughes wrote of his proposal. “The former has had no shortage of injury issues but is an even more proven playoff gunner than Bridges. The latter can defend wings at least as well as the current version of Bridges while providing decent three-point shooting and more athleticism in transition.”
The Knicks Would Also Save Millions With The Trade
Hughes also went on to explain how moving Bridges for Strus and Jones Jr. could also serve to save the franchise millions in the near future.
“The real kicker is the savings. Strus and Jones Jr. are both on expiring contracts. If the Knicks want to retain one of them in free agency, they can do so at a much lower rate than Bridges’ $36 million salary in 2027-28. If neither comes back, the Knicks will wipe out $108 million over the next three years,” Hughes continued.
New York has reportedly been mandated to avoid the second luxury tax apron by James Dolan. They have some important contract decisions on the horizon, including the future of Karl-Anthony Towns. Any savings the franchise can make should help them keep most of the championship core together long-term.
Of course, Bridges was also an important piece of that championship roster, so any decision on his future won’t be easy, either.
Bridges Could Still Bounce Back For Knicks
In truth, making a move after eight games of the season would be born out of panic. We’re still too early into the campaign to start discussing trading such a key piece of the Knicks roster.
Bridges isn’t the first player to start an NBA season slowly, nor will he be the last. For now, he should be given time to ride out his rough patch and get back to his best. If his best doesn’t materialize by the time the trade deadline rolls around, the conversations will inevitably have to take place.
There’s a lot of basketball to play between now and then. All we can do is wait and see how it plays out on the court.
Proposed 2-for-1 Trade Sees Knicks Send Mikal Bridges to Clippers