It’s nice to see the locals coming around to something we’ve been saying for weeks now in these parts. The best way for the Knicks to handle their upcoming NBA second apron crunch, and to give space to keep valued stars like Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart in place at market-level contracts is to offload Mikal Bridges, who has had his moments in New York but has never been an essential ingredient to this team’s success.
On Monday, the same day that Bridges was benched after playing just 16 minutes of action and watched a come-from-behind win, 103-90 over the Nets, the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy noted that trading Bridges and the remainder of his four years and $150 million (with a player option in Year 4) would be the easiest way for the Knicks to create some room to operate.
Wrote Bondy: “As the Knicks grapple with their second-apron mandate and extension eligibilities, the proposed solutions seem to be skipping over the obvious: Trade Mikal Bridges. … If we’re trying to make dollars and sense out of the conundrum, Bridges is the most expendable.”
Mixed Messages on Mikal Bridges
As far back as April, with the Knicks struggling to find the right role for Bridges heading into the playoffs, and many even suggesting moving him to a bench job, an NBA executive told Heavy Sports that taking action on Bridges would be the most sensible thing to do for the Knicks.
Bridges had, at times last year and now, this year, been outplayed by Landry Shamet and other Knicks role players, but the Knicks kept him in the starting five in part because he is being paid so much. The exec said at the time: “I 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.”
But the executive also raised the issue of the Knicks having given up five first-round picks for Bridges, and the difficulty of getting value back for him given his drop in play and his contract. The exec wondered, “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.”
Knicks Could Find Trades ‘Stupid’
Still, there are reasons why Bridges won’t be traded by the Knicks.
From Bondy: “Now, a dose of reality: There are plenty of reasons why trading Bridges is stupid. In consecutive years, the 30-year-old demonstrated that he raises the team’s ceiling by increasing his production in the playoffs. Rose sacrificed five first-round picks for Bridges, and surrendering him in a salary dump is just bad business.”
But more than that is whether the Knicks can get the right partner in a dela. They’d need to find a team that could give up a player on an expiring contract–the goal is get the money off the books this offseason–and would be willing to take on the very hefty remainder of Bridges’ deal. Maybe a Zach LaVine swap with the Kings, for example.
But there are not many teams lining up for that commitment. Trading Bridges is easier said than done.
Knicks Urged to Trade $150 Million Star After Benching