Mikal Bridges is officially a member of the New York Knicks as the NBA turned the page to a new year on Saturday. Following a bombshell trade, the former Brooklyn Nets forward will join Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo across the river in 2024-25. The deal was the first between the Knicks and Nets since 1983.

Bridges' Brooklyn exit came with some controversy. SNY's Ian Begley reported that the 27-year-old informed the Nets that he wanted to be a Knick and was prepared to force his way to New York by telling other teams that he only wanted to play there.

Bridges seemingly denied the report with a tweet the night of the trade.

“Y'all motherf***ers really think I got pull like that, lol. Please be for real,” he wrote.

Bridges defended himself again Sunday during a lengthy farewell post to the Nets on Instagram.

“Once again I got traded I was not a free agent I don't know what y'all want me to do,” he said.

Mikal Bridges reunites with former Villanova teammates after controversial season

Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) controls the ball against New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) during the first quarter at Barclays Center.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Nets general manager Sean Marks emphasized during a press conference Monday that Bridges did not request a trade to New York.

“Mikal didn't know until I called him,” Marks said. “I think it's been reported that Mikal wanted to leave or requested a trade. That could not be further from the truth. I think that's just not in Mikal’s character, it's not who he is, and that definitely did not happen. He was told by me when I called him up and let them know that we're at the two-yard line.”

While Marks insists Bridges did not know about a trade until it was nearly complete, Begley stood by his reporting during an appearance on my podcast, Bleav in Nets.

The rumors of Bridges forcing his way to the Knicks have drawn a strong response. Nets fans criticized the Villanova product last season for not defending Brooklyn amid repeated jabs from Brunson and Hart about the team's struggles. Those remarks included Hart not-so-subtly trying to recruit Bridges during an episode of his podcast and saying the Nets were holding his former teammate hostage.

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Bridges responded to criticism during the season and reaffirmed his long-term commitment to Brooklyn.

“I wasn’t raised when things get tough to wanna get out,” he said. “A lot of people might think about different teams… I got my boys over in New York, so obviously everybody goes with that… But I'm here now and I wanna stay here.”

While Bridges denies forcing a trade to the Knicks, he's seemed happy with the outcome. He represents a major piece of New York's title push alongside his former Villanova teammates.

Bridges opens up on struggles during farewell to Nets

The most memorable part of Bridges' Nets tenure will be the historic trade to New York. After joining Brooklyn at the 2023 trade deadline, he turned in the best 27-game stretch of his career. However, he struggled to maintain that production while being miscast as the team's number-one option last season, averaging 15.6 points per game on 39.7 percent shooting post-All-Star break.

Bridges briefly alluded to those struggles and thanked the Nets organization in his final message to Brooklyn.

“Brooklyn man I appreciate y'all so much… I will never forget the love and support when I first got traded here,” he said. “From never thinking I was gonna get traded from a place I called home for the last 5 years to everybody just embracing me was something I did not expect. You guys showed love from the beginning and honestly helped me expand my game even more.”

“Obviously last year was tough and I hated that we and myself was letting y'all down. Wish I could of been better for y'all bc that's gonna be stuck with me for the rest of my life but sometimes that's just how life is. Gotta grow and learn when adversity hit… To my teammates, coaches, and the organization I think yall know how much love I have for you guys and that will never change. Got so many relationships that will never be broken. Yeah i feel like I chat a lot whenever i get traded but s**t man this is just how I really feel… Love is always gonna be there BK.”