The New York Knicks made a significant move this NBA offseason by trading for Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges. However, despite the deal being reported seven days ago, it has yet to be finalized.
Keith Smith of Spotrac provided some insights on why Bridges hasn’t officially become a Knick through a series of tweets.
He explained that teams across the league are currently working to combine previously independent trades into larger transactions.
“Speaking with some teams tonight, it seems they are working on expanding some of the previously agreed-upon trades. There are also discussions about merging some deals into larger transactions,” Smith tweeted on July 3. “Basically, teams are looking for ways to create mutually beneficial trades.”
He noted that the Bridges deal is “one of the deals” mentioned in these discussions.
“This is one of the deals that has been discussed for expansion,” Smith responded.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the trade between Brooklyn and New York.
Bridges is coming off his sixth NBA season, and his second with the Nets. He averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.0 steals per game over 82 appearances with Brooklyn.
Knicks ‘Not Eager’ to Trade Miles McBride for Mikal Bridges
SNY’s Ian Begley had previously suggested that the Knicks might include backup guard Miles McBride in the trade for Bridges.
“Right after the deal, the Knicks believed there were practical ways to avoid the first apron hard-cap,” Begley wrote on June 28. “They can achieve this by trading Miles McBride ($4.7 million salary for 2024-25) or by signing and trading either Alec Burks or Precious Achiuwa, as noted by Yossi Gozlan, a great resource for salary cap details.”
This move would have helped them avoid the first apron, a threshold that would have prevented them from re-signing center Isaiah Hartenstein.
However, Fred Katz of The Athletic reported that the Knicks were not keen on including McBride in the blockbuster trade.
“The team discussed the possibility of including Miles McBride in the Bridges trade, according to league sources — and not because they are eager to trade away a 23-year-old talent on a minimal contract,” Katz wrote on June 27.
However, the 2023 starter left for the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency. As a result, New York’s priorities have likely shifted, although their determination to keep McBride remains unchanged.
New York Considering Sign-And-Trade for Precious Achiuwa?
Among the three options mentioned by Begley as potential salary inclusions, McBride seems unlikely. Additionally, veteran guard Alec Burks has left the Knicks for the Miami Heat in free agency.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report this.
“Free agent G/F Alec Burks has agreed on a one-year deal with the Miami Heat, sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski tweeted on July 3.
This leaves fourth-year forward Precious Achiuwa as the remaining option from Begley’s list. Coincidentally, there is speculation that he is heading to Brooklyn, as noted in a tweet from Nets Daily.
After talking to various NBA types, betting is that the “player to be named later” in Bridges trade will likely be Precious Achiwura. Nothing official just educated guesses.
“After talking to various NBA types, betting is that the ‘player to be named later’ in the Bridges trade will likely be Precious Achiwura,” they tweeted on July 3. “Nothing official, just educated guesses.”
Achiuwa is an unrestricted free agent, so he would have to agree to a contract with the Nets to arrive via sign-and-trade.
He joined the Knicks in a midseason trade for OG Anunoby with the Toronto Raptors. Achiuwa averaged 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 49 regular-season games with the Knicks.
