A Look Back at the Mikal Bridges Trade With New York Knicks

Former Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges scored 20 points in the New York Knicks' Game 2 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday at the Frost Bank Center, and many fans are revisiting the cross-town trade between the Nets and Knicks.

Fans took to social media after Bridges' performance to question whether Nets fans believe they won the trade. Brooklyn traded the 6-foot-6 forward to the Knicks in exchange for four unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031) and a protected 2025 first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks on July 6, 2024.

The immense draft capital sparked mixed reactions from NBA fans. Five first-round picks are a haul teams use to acquire superstars, but Bridges is a role player.

New York went all-in to acquire the former Villanova Wildcat, pairing him with OG Anunoby on the wing to cover for Jalen Brunson's defensive weakness. Brooklyn received immense draft capital that is crucial to their rebuild.

While fans debate who won the trade, the trade between the two teams is a win-win. The Knicks are in the finals because of their risky, aggressive gamble, and the Nets have many picks to continue adding young talent or use in other trades.

Brooklyn used the two 2025 picks from New York to select Nolan Traoré (19th overall) and Ben Saraf (26th overall). Traoré and Saraf had shaky rookie seasons, but coach Jordi Fernández gave both extended opportunities to develop.

The Nets still have the 2027, 2029 and 2031 picks at their disposal. They could continue adding young talent to their roster or use them in trades to acquire "win-now" players.

Even with the "3-2-1" lottery system set to take effect in the 2027 draft, Brooklyn's future is promising with the amount of picks at their disposal. They are also projected to have $44.6 million in cap this summer.

Bridges is on a winning team, playing a significant role in his team's playoff run. He had a shaky start to the playoffs, averaging 10 points against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.

However, he bounced back in the following rounds. Bridges averaged 17.5 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, 18.5 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers and is averaging 14.5 points in the NBA Finals. 

There was no clear winner of the Bridges trade in 2024. Both teams achieved different goals with the trade -- New York making an all-in push for a title and Brooklyn acquiring immense draft capital.

Although the trade sparked mixed reactions among fans, both teams have benefited from it. 

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