The New York Knicks trading for Mikal Bridges reunites him with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo and adds another great 3-and-D wing along with OG Anunoby. But Draymond Green isn’t sure that they’re the team to beat just yet.

On his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, the Golden State Warriors veteran discussed the trades around the NBA that saw handfuls of draft picks exchanged. The Knicks traded five first-round picks and a pick swap to land Bridges, a steep price that a team hasn’t paid for a high-end role player like Bridges. Usually, those large hauls go for decorated stars like Rudy Gobert or Damian Lillard.

Green had nice things to say about Bridges' defense and shooting abilities, adding that he’s best off the ball, where he will be with the Knicks. He pointed out that re-signing OG Anunoby was a great move, as well. But he added that the Boston Celtics are still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and that the Knicks only have a few years to make their championship run.

“I just don’t think that group is good enough to beat Boston,” Green said. “Ultimately, you’re building a team that you hope can beat Boston. And I don’t think that team is going to beat Boston. So you got a year or two like the Houston Rockets. I don’t know if y’all remember the Rockets of old when we were on our run…You got, like, two years and it’s, ‘Oops, that didn’t work.’ Clint Capela is gone. The first domino falls and then once the first domino falls, that’s it. It’s gone from there. That’s what I think is going to happen. That’s how I see it playing out.”

It’s not crazy to say that the Knicks are still not on the level of the Celtics, who dominated all season long and won the championship. But the Nova Knicks are eager to prove their doubters wrong.

Knicks add Mikal Bridges but lose Isaiah Hartenstein in 2024 offseason

Although the addition of another phenomenal defender and former Villanova standout makes the Knicks better, it’s not as big of an overall upgrade given the fact that they lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Adding Bridges didn’t jeopardize Hartenstein's future in New York — the team could only offer him so much, so he chose another good team that can pay him more — but it does deprive the Knicks of a key starter.

Hartenstein's defense, rebounding and playmaking made the Knicks such a force on offense and capable of defending at a high level. Although they may have the best wing rotation in all of basketball, big man depth is critical. Unless the plan is to make Julius Randle the starting center — an admittedly intriguing option that New York can pull off given its great positional rebounders, perimeter shooting and versatile defenders — New York has to scour the markets for a Hartenstein replacement.

The Knicks have to pivot to other options at center given Mitchell Robinson's lengthy injury history. They could trade for the Utah Jazz's Walker Kessler, whose lack of offensive upside may make him fall out of favor in their style of play. Otherwise, they will have to turn to free agency.