The New York Knicks believe they have a chance to win the Eastern Conference.
The Nets have reached a deal with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire forward Mikal Bridges in exchange for Bojan Vodoganovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a 2025 protected first-round pick, a pick swap and two second-round picks, a person familiar with the trade confirmed to USA Today Sports.
The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly until the deal is announced.
The Nets will receive first-round draft picks from the Knicks in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031.
Bridges is one of the game’s best two-way players and one of its most reliable. With the Nets in 2023-24, he averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 43.6 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from 3-point range and 81.4 percent from the free throw line.
The 27-year-old Bridges has played every game possible during his six-year career, appearing in 83 games in the 2022-23 season after being acquired from Phoenix by the Nets in the Kevin Durant trade.
Bridges has two seasons remaining on his contract making him $48.2 million and will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season.
The Knicks lost to Indiana in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but were hampered by injuries to key players including Julius Randle, Bogdanovic, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson, and star player Jalen Brunson was sidelined with a broken hand in the Game 7 loss.
The Knicks also continue to bring together former Villanova players. With Bridges’ addition, the Knicks will have four players who attended Villanova: Bridges, Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, who all played together on Villanova’s 2016-17 team.
This was the first trade between the two teams since 1983, when the Knicks traded a second-round pick to the Nets in exchange for Len Elmore.
Knicks-Nets trade assessment
Knicks: B+
The Knicks gave up a lot for Bridges — four unprotected first-round picks and other assets are big — but working to compete for a title when windows open and close quickly makes sense. Even when fully healthy, the Knicks knew they would need to improve to compete with Boston for the East title. And the Knicks have yet to address the roster. OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hertenstein are free agents and both were key parts of New York’s success. Re-signing both may be impossible.
Net: A-
The Nets are still recovering from the Kevin Durant-James Harden-Kyrie Irving era, which didn’t produce anything notable, and they’re getting draft picks back for their rebuild, which would be a big gain, but Brooklyn needs to turn those picks into quality players.
Nets sign individual deal with Rockets
Brooklyn also reached a deal with Houston for draft picks, according to news releases from both teams.
The Nets receive:
2025 first-round draft pick, voiding any previously agreed-upon exchange.
The 2026 first-round pick that was previously traded to Houston.
The Rockets receive:
n The right to swap either the team’s own first-round pick or Oklahoma City’s first-round pick in exchange for Phoenix’s 2025 first-round pick.
Phoenix’s 2027 first-round draft pick.
The right to acquire either Dallas or Phoenix’s first-round pick in 2019 (whichever is better) and the right to swap his or her first-round pick for either Dallas or Phoenix’s first-round pick (whichever is worse).
