Nets trade Mikal Bridges to Knicks for Bojan Bogdanovic and draft picks: Report

Mikal Bridges is heading to Manhattan to reunite with former teammates.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Brooklyn Nets reached a deal on Tuesday night to trade Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and a ton of future draft capital, including four unprotected first-round picks.

The deal reunites Bridges, a former Villanova University star, with former Wildcats Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, who Bridges spent three seasons at Villanova, winning two national championships there.

The group also had a big FaceTime call Tuesday night.

Per Wojnarowski, the Nets will receive unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031. They will also receive a protected first-round pick in 2025 from the Milwaukee Bucks, a second-round pick in 2025 and a protected draft pick swap in 2028.

Bridges averaged 19.6 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Nets last year, his first full season with the team since they acquired him in the Kevin Durant trade with the Phoenix Suns before the 2023 deadline. Bridges has two years remaining on his four-year, $90.9 million contract.

The 35-year-old Bagdanovic joined the Knicks from the Detroit Pistons earlier this season and was a key part of the Knicks’ playoff run, which ended in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight season, averaging 10.4 points and 2 rebounds in 29 games off the bench.

The Nets then hired head coach Jordi Fernandez and finished 32-50 last season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Now, the Nets are looking at a major rebuild, which is absolutely possible over the next few years given the draft picks currently available.

The Knicks still have some major issues to resolve this offseason, particularly with free agent OG Anunoby, but they’re clearly hoping Bridges’ Villanova reunion can at least give the team a boost in its quest to reach its first Eastern Conference finals in 25 years next spring.

Nets trade picks to Rockets, who reportedly want Kevin Durant

The Nets’ winning didn’t end there.

Shortly after the trade was reported, the Nets signed a restructured draft pick deal with the Houston Rockets.

Wojnarowski said the deal was made as the Rockets sought to acquire Suns star Kevin Durant in a future trade. The Suns have not said they are willing to trade Durant, who will be in his 18th season in the league this fall, but the Rockets now have the picks to potentially make such a deal work.

On Wednesday afternoon ahead of the NBA Draft, Suns owner Matt Ishbia seemed to insist that neither the Suns nor Durant wanted to part ways with each other.

If the Durant deal doesn’t go through, which Ishbia believes won’t happen, the Rockets are “determined” to use the Suns’ pick elsewhere. The report said the Rockets are “currently exploring significant additions.” Houston went 41-41 last season and narrowly missed the playoffs under first-year coach Ime Udoka.