Knicks set to acquire Mikal Bridges in a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, AP sources say

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges is being traded by the Brooklyn Nets to the New York Knicks, the place he’ll be a part of Jalen Brunson and his different former Villanova teammates, two individuals with information of the small print mentioned Tuesday.

The primary commerce between the New York rivals since 1983 will put Bridges within the lineup alongside Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, gamers who helped the Wildcats win two NCAA championships and have been the core of a Knicks lineup that reached the Japanese Convention semifinals final season.

The Knicks pays massive to get him, with ESPN reporting that they’re sending Bojan Bogdanovic to the Nets together with 4 unprotected first-round picks and one protected choose. The deal was confirmed to The Related Press beneath situation of anonymity as a result of it’s not but official.

The Nets acquired Bridges from Phoenix within the deal for Kevin Durant in February 2023 and he went on to common 26.1 factors the remainder of that season in serving to Brooklyn attain the playoffs. The swingman scored 19.6 per recreation in 2023-24 however the Nets slipped to 32-50 and missed the postseason.

And whereas his crew was struggling, he couldn’t assist however discover how a lot enjoyable his associates have been having just some miles away. The Knicks signed Brunson in the summertime of 2022, traded for Hart within the 2022-23 season after which signed DiVincenzo final summer time, and reached the second spherical in each seasons.

The 4 gamers helped Villanova win the 2016 NCAA title, and Brunson, Bridges and DiVincenzo have been nonetheless there when the Wildcats received once more in 2018.

They clearly can’t wait to get the band again collectively.

“That is loopy lol,” Bridges wrote on the social media platform X after the deal was reported.

Hart posted an image of what gave the impression to be the 4 gamers smiling throughout a gaggle video name.

The groups hadn’t made a deal since 1983, when the Nets have been nonetheless in New Jersey and despatched Len Elmore to New York for a future draft choose. This one offers Brooklyn extra picks to construct by way of the draft or bundle in additional trades.

The Knicks had picks to maneuver and have been trying to strengthen a crew that has been on the rise. They have been a recreation away from their first look within the Japanese Convention finals since 2000 final season regardless of shedding a variety of key gamers to accidents earlier than and in the course of the postseason.

Their new addition, then again, doesn’t get damage.

Bridges was the runner-up for Defensive Participant of the Yr in 2022 and is presently the NBA’s most sturdy participant, which ought to rapidly make him a favourite of Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. He has performed in all 474 video games in his profession — and by no means missed a recreation in school, both — and led the league in minutes performed in each 2021-22 and 2022-23.

___

This story has been corrected to mirror that Brunson signed with the Knicks in the summertime of 2022, not the Nets.

___

AP NBA: