Mikal Bridges was in Dallas with Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith when he learned he was being traded to the New York Knicks. In a matter of seconds, the pair of veterans went from teammates working out to crosstown rivals.
“He came out there to get some work in with me,” Finney-Smith said. “We still ended up working together, but we started talking trash to each other a little bit because now we gonna be playing against each other. But that’s my guy. We built some lifelong connections. Good luck to him.”
Brooklyn shocked the NBA with its decision to send its best player across the river. The deal elevated New York to contender status while reuniting Bridges with Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. However, a return of five first-round picks, one first-round pick swap, and a second-round pick softened the blow for the Nets, who will enter a rebuild in hopes of landing a top pick in a loaded 2025 draft.
Finney-Smith said the tone of his workouts with Bridges changed after news of the deal broke.
“We still kept training together that whole the next two days after the trade happened,” he said. “So we went from [asking], ‘What we're gonna do next year?' to, ‘We’re about to kick y’all a**!' You know I'm gonna talk s**t. We got to break that Villanova s**t up.”
How are Nets veterans dealing with team's roster uncertainty?
With the Nets resetting their timeline, Finney-Smith joins Cam Johnson, Bojan Bogdanović and Dennis Schroder as veterans who could be on the move. The 30-year-old forward's hard-nosed defense and three-point shooting make him a fit for virtually any contender.
Finney-Smith is under contract for $14.9 million next season. He then has a $15.4 million player option in 2025-26, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. After rejecting offers for him at the last two trade deadlines, Brooklyn is running out of time to cash in on his value. Unlike Johnson, who said trade rumors do not affect him, Finney-Smith admitted he hears the noise.
“I mean, I'm human. So, of course [I hear about trade rumors],” he said. “I’ve got family and stuff always asking me what's going on and s**t like that. But you know, I'm just honest. I'm human, so I'm going to pay attention a little bit.”
“I still get to do what I love. I could be in a tougher situation where I’m looking for a job. I know I’m gonna be good regardless. If I’m here, I’m here. If I’m not, I’m not. I just try to be wherever my feet are at. So I’m a Brooklyn Net right now, and I’m looking forward to competing.”
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