“The Knicks are back!” Six-time NBA All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire said those words after signing a massive five-year, $99.7 million contract with New York in June, 2010. Aside from a 54-win season in 2012-13, the franchise's grand revitalization efforts did not come to fruition. This big signing was marred by injuries and fire extinguishers, and the team sunk back into irrelevancy a few years later.
It took more than a decade, but Stoudemire's proclamation rings true today. The New York Knicks have won nine of their last 10 contests and currently stand in fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 33-18, a half-game out of second. There have been surges in the past few years, but this one carries something that hasn't really existed in a long time. Credibility.
Decisively ousting the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games in last year's playoffs was unequivocal progress, but an NBA title still felt miles away. Although this team isn't the favorite in 2024, it has forced its way into the conversation.
Jalen Brunson's star continues to rise, OG Anunoby fits like a glove and Isaiah Hartenstein is handling the dirty work just fine in place of the injured Mitchell Robinson. New York has a potent blend of talent, chemistry and defensive grit that could give the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks fits.
But in order to cement itself as a genuine contender in the East, it might need to get aggressive ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline. ESPN is throwing out hypothetical deals in anticipation of the big day, with one revolving around the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets' Mikal Bridges.
Could this two-way wing possibly be the impetus for a long-awaited championship parade? We are going to give our thoughts and grade on this trade scenario.
ESPN's hypothetical Mikal Bridges trade to Knicks
NBA Front office insider and former Nets executive Bobby Marks proposed a deal as part of an article that consists of big trades ESPN staff members want to see before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline. Although this exercise can be seen as frivolous, the theoretical offers are at least rooted in logic and recent reports. This one is a doozy.
The swap between the New York squads would be as follows: the Knicks trade a 2024 first-round pick (via Dallas Mavericks, top-10 protected), 2025 first-round pick (Bucks, top-four protected), two of their unprotected first-rounders (2025, 2027), their 2029 first-round pick (top-five protected), Quentin Grimes and Evan Fournier to the Nets in exchange for Bridges.
Before we dive into this deal, it is important to mention that Marks himself does not think it can actually happen. He uses his time in Brooklyn's front office as evidence for the sparse communication between both organizations– Knicks and Nets have not completed a trade with each other since 1983. Owner Joe Tsai might be repulsed by the idea of helping his in-state rival possibly end a 51-year championship drought.
Five first-round picks and a solid 3-and-D guy in Grimes (Fournier would likely be looking for another team) might help management keep its lunch down, however. Everyone has a price, right? One franchise's practicality could actually coalesce with another's rabid desire to truly be the “Mecca of Basketball.”
Mikal Bridges can be the third star fans have been clamoring for
When Mikal Bridges was traded to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a package for Kevin Durant last February, many saw him as a good young player but not a No. 1 option who can take his team deep into the playoffs. Technically, those people have been proven right given the team's 20-30 record, but he has done an admirable job of leading this group through a difficult transition phase.
Moreover, Bridges has the makings to be a core member of a title run. He was an invaluable two-way contributor for the Suns when they won the West in 2021 and can serve an even larger role for the Knicks in their pursuit of the Eastern crown this year and beyond.
The 27-year-old fits the identity and Villanova complexion of the squad, while also addressing a direct on-court need. New York ranks in the bottom-10 in the NBA in field goal percentage and sometimes falls victim to offensive dry spells late in games against squads that can match its defensive intensity. A seven-minute scoreless stretch cost Tom Thibodeau's guys a home victory versus the Los Angeles Lakers this past Saturday. That could be a harbinger of what's to come in the postseason.
Knicks president Leon Rose could interpret this in one of two ways, with the deadline less than a day away. He can acquire a bench spark plug like Jordan Clarkson or go all in on the guy who might be the best attainable player in the game right now.
Grading Knicks' trade for Mikal Bridges
The cost is steep and could trigger flashbacks for fans who desperately try to block out the future All-Stars the team gave up in years past. Sacrificing a chunk of the future for the present can set a franchise back a decade and a half. Just look at what happened to the Nets when they added Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
But if it works, the jubilation and pride that comes with hanging a new banner in Madison Square Garden will be worth potential stagnancy or a rebuild. That is what winning a title means to this city.
Mikal Bridges averages almost 22 points per game on 45.4 percent shooting from the field. He can create his own shot and contest an opposing wing on the other end of the floor. His rebound and assist numbers are both at career-highs, which brings another versatile, balanced player into the fold.
The Knicks may never secure a top superstar like Joel Embiid. That just might not be their path. Though, stockpiling pieces who can mold into different roles and perform different tasks on a given night can be the optimal path towards June basketball for this blue-collar crew.
If Bobby Marks' hypothetical scenario is actually on the table at this moment, then Rose should hold his ground on the five first-rounders. When the clock nears 3 p.m. on Thursday, however, he and the Knicks brass might consider this gross overcompensation to be a necessary evil that ends this era of optimism and ushers in a new one of indisputable greatness.
Final Grade: B
It's a gamble, but one that should be thoroughly reflected on all the way up to the NBA trade deadline.
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