Mikal Bridges moves next door as he is traded to the Knicks

New York Knicks, Basketball, Featured, Professional

June 26, 2024

In a shocking turn of events on the eve of the 2024 NBA Draft, Mikal Bridges was traded to the New York Knicks for Bojan Bogdanovic and a load of draft picks. Bridges was thought to be the centerpiece of the Brooklyn Nets’ offense and the leading man in the Nets’ franchise future, but things have changed.

It’s no surprise that the Brooklyn Nets are doing a rebuild, but it is a surprise to trade away arguably their best player. During his tenure with the Nets, Bridges averaged 21.5 points per game in the 109 games he played as a member of the Nets. Bridges was the silver lining in a franchise coming from the fallout of trading away Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in 2023. Bridges was included in the trade that landed the Phoenix Suns with Kevin Durant.

The trade consists of Mikal Bridges being sent over to the Knicks for Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027, 2029, 2031), a 2025 protected first-round pick that was rerouted from the Milwaukee Bucks, a 2028 unprotected pick swap, and a 2025 second-round pick. A large sum of draft picks that points to the direction of an entire franchise rebuild. Between now and 2031, the Nets have 15 draft picks.

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. pic.twitter.com/TEGsIpoa3b

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 26, 2024

It’s a wonder if this will be a trade that the Brooklyn Nets fans will be thankful for in the next ten years, similar to the rebuild that the recent NBA Champions Boston Celtics did a decade prior. Or will the Nets fail a rebuild, and the abundance of picks will be for nothing?

One thing is for sure: the New York Knicks are aiming to win now and are sacrificing a lot of draft picks to do so. The Nets have the chance to draft a diamond in the rough and acquire their franchise player to help lead them into being playoff contenders.