The New York Knicks have had a busy 24 hours leading up to the NBA Draft. First, the Knicks pulled off a blockbuster trade for Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges. Now, New York has decided to make two big draft-night moves with the Washington Wizards and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Knicks make decisive NBA Draft moves after blockbuster trade

The Knicks are trading their No. 24 pick to Washington, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Wizards targeted KyShawn George with the pick. In addition, New York is making a deal to send their No. 26th pick (Dillon Jones) to the Thunder, Wojnarowski reports. New York's moves are intriguing. It will be interesting to see if their returns on the trades outweigh George and Jones' value.

After the Indiana Pacers ended the Knicks' 2024 postseason in the second round, New York made it their mission to improve. The Knicks surrendered four first-round picks to land Mikal Bridges from the crosstown-rival Nets. Bridges' arrival in Manhattan is significant due to the chemistry he shares with some of New York's players.

Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart won an NCAA title together at Villanova in 2016. Hart then went to the NBA, but his other three teammates stayed and won another championship together in 2018.

The Knicks went all in on reuniting the former squad to see if they can replicate their feat on the professional stage. When it comes to on-the-court play, Mikal Bridges is nearly a seamless fit.

Through 82 games during the 2023-24 season, Bridges averaged a career-high 19.6 points and shot 37.2 percent on three-pointers. Many fans and analysts expected Bridges to take a larger jump than he did in his first full season with the Nets. However, it understandably took a toll on him to jump from a key role player with the Phoenix Suns to a lead star with Brooklyn. He should excel in his dedicated 3-and-D role with New York.

New York's trades should set them up well

The Knicks gained value back with their Thunder and Wizards trades. New York will receive a combination of later picks (No. 51 from the Wizards) and second-round selections. Their moves to give up two of their 2024 first-round picks makes sense given their efforts to focus on winning now. Mikal Bridges should certainly help them do that.

Many fans and analysts believe New York overpaid for Bridges, but when looking at his history, New York's pursuit makes sense.

One of the best things Bridges provides the Knicks is durability. The 6'6″ forward possesses the longest active streak of games played in the NBA. He has not missed a single game since he was drafted in 2018. Moreover, Bridges' shooting and defensive ability are among the best. He was a Defensive Player of the Year runner-up during the 2021-22 season and made the All-Defensive First Team. In addition, Bridges' offensive production shows that he can score at a high level.

It will be interesting to see things play out for the Knicks amid their plethora of offseason moves.