Source: David Berding / Getty
The New York Knicks were one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals, and they got a lot better overnight.
Last night, the Brooklyn Nets bargained with their crosstown rivals and gave up Mikal Bridges for a whopping five first-round picks and Bojan Bogdanović for the salary match.
Other suitors were attempting to move the defensive powerhouse –who can still drop 20 points a night– away from Brooklyn like the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz– but they weren’t willing to part with four-pick offers so the Knicks sweetened the deal.
Knicks came back with four unprotected first-rounders — beginning next year— a protected first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks, and then the rights for Brooklyn to swap firsts with New York in 2028.
It’s a lot for the Knicks to give, essentially giving Brooklyn major draft power through the next five years. But in return, the Knicks are getting team chemistry most franchises wish they had.
Bridges is reuniting with Villanova Wildcat teammates who banded together to win two NCAA Championships: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. Known as the Nova Knicks, the newfound teammates immediately showed that the brotherhood is still strong. Within an hour of the trade, Hart tweeted, “YO WE F-CKING LIT’ and followed it up with a photo of the four of them on FaceTime with huge smiles.
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) June 26, 2024
That wasn’t all the Nets did Tuesday night. They made it even clearer that they’re in rebuild mode and attempting to find a new identity after the Big Three of James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving was more of a headache than it was ever successful. In a deal with the Rockets, the Nets got their 2026 first-round pick after giving it up for the Harden trade.
The Knicks are deeper than they were last season, which will surely help them put up a fight against the 2024 NBA Championship Boston Celtics. However, OG Anunoby declined his player option, making him an unrestricted free agent, and fans still don’t know if he’s returning.
See how social media is reacting to the blockbuster trade below.
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