The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets have not traded with each other very often over the years, but when Mikal Bridges reportedly made it known to the Nets that he wanted to be a Knick, the two teams worked out a deal. The shocking trade will reunite Bridges with several of his former Villanova teammates, including Jalen Brunson, and former NBA player Andre Iguodala believes that is the key to the trade.
On 7PM in Brooklyn, a Wave Sports + Entertainment Original featuring Kid Mero and former Knicks player Carmelo Anthony, Iguodala said Bridges should fit seamlessly with Brunson and the Knicks.
“I think Mikal is perfect alongside Jalen Brunson to allow Jalen to be Jalen,” Iguodala said. “They both complement each other very, very well. And I know I spoke on this, I thought Mikal Bridges was the best talent in the city of New York. Now obviously, Jalen has proved me wrong because just his IQ is on another level and in the way he's been able to play, it's been amazing. But everyone's been asking, how far can the Knicks go with the team they have? I think Mikal was going to add that perfect balance to Jalen.”
Carmelo Anthony weighs on Mikal Bridges Knicks-Nets trade
Carmelo Anthony is one of the most popular players in New York Knicks history, having played for the franchise from 2011 to 2017. And while Anthony was criticized during his time in New York for a perceived lack of success, Anthony gave his seal of approval on the Mikal Bridges trade.
“I think that's a really good trade, on both sides,” Anthony said. “I don't think there's a loser. … On both sides, it's a balanced trade.”
Anthony said the acquisition was a “really, really thoughtful, intentional” trade by the Knicks to improve a team that lost in the second round of the NBA Playoffs amid major injury issues.
The Knicks, in Year 2 of the Jalen Brunson era, won 50 games for the first time in over a decade and reached the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century.
But like the regular season — Julius Randle was sidelined with a season-ending shoulder injury in February and OG Anunoby missed 27 games due to an elbow injury after being traded to New York — the Knicks couldn't stay healthy enough in the postseason. Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart, Bojan Bogdanovic, and even Brunson eventually went down with injuries, severely limiting the team's chances in a home Game 7 vs. the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately, the injuries did prove to be too much to overcome, as the Knicks were routed by Indiana 130-109 to end a promising season.
Now, the Knicks seem determined to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years after the acquisition of Bridges, who has been the NBA's Iron Man of sorts. Bridges has not missed a game since being drafted in 2018 — he has played all 474 regular-season games in his career, including 83 in 2022-23 when he was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Brooklyn Nets. He has also played all 39 playoff games in his career.
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