Mikal Bridges Traded to the New York Knicks: What it means for the Celtics

NEW YORK — The Villanova boys are officially back together.

On Tuesday night, the Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a 2025 protected first-round pick via Milwaukee, a 2028 pick swap and a 2025 second-round pick.

For the Brooklyn Nets, the move signals the beginning of another rebuild for the franchise, likely returning them to the form of their Jeremy Lin/Brook Lopez era where they posted a combined 41-123 record across the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. They were unable to capitalize on of those poor showings then, as the Celtics owned two of their first-round picks from the 2013 Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett trade, which they used to select Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Now, Brooklyn will control more of their own future, as well as a plethora of additional first-rounders, with more expected to come. The Nets have plenty of solid veterans on their squad, including Ben Simmons, Cameron Johnson, Dennis Schroder, and Dorian Finney-Smith. It wouldn’t be surprising to see teams closer to contention make calls for some of these players, which could provide Brooklyn with a higher stash of draft capital. The Nets also pulled off a trade with the Rockets on Tuesday to return several of their future first round picks from the James Harden trade.

For the Knicks, they immediately improved their roster and become a championship contender. While they might have overpaid for Bridges, they reunited him with his former college teammates, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo, the former Villanova Wildcats who won a national championship together in 2016.

Beyond the obvious chemistry benefits, Bridges, 27, is an outstanding two-way player who reached the NBA Finals during his tenure with the Phoenix Suns. During his season and a half with the Nets, Bridges averaged 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and one steal per game. He has also never missed a game since being drafted in 2018, which, if it continues, would be an asset to a Knicks team that was ravaged by injuries in the playoffs.

It’s unclear if they will be able to retain forward OG Anunoby, who enters unrestricted free agency this summer. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Knicks are determined to strike a deal, but they likely wouldn’t be able to retain backup big  Isaiah Hartenstein. The Bridges trade also hard-capped them at $178 million.

If the Knicks can retain Anunoby, they will bolster one of the best defensive frontcourts in the NBA. Anunoby, 26, who was acquired from the Toronto Raptors during the 2023-24 season, plays a similar role as Bridges as a 3&D wing. Having them together would, in theory, be their best chance at containing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Which brings us to the key question: would the Knicks be able to beat the Celtics in a seven-game series? While much depends on the ability to retain Anunoby and overall team health, New York could be the biggest threat to Boston in the East as of today. Milwaukee is a formidable opponent if Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo can stay on the floor, and Philadelphia could provide a challenge, particularly if they have a strong offseason. But none of those two teams would be able to match what the Knicks look like defensively, and when you match that with the shot-making ability of Jalen Brunson, who finished top-five in MVP voting this season, New York becomes a significant threat.

The loss of Hartenstein would be a significant blow to New York’s center depth, though. Center Mitchell Robinson has had some of the worst health luck in the NBA, sustaining two long-term injuries this season which allowed Hartenstein to ascend. Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, if healthy, would be able to provide a significant advantage by hunting mismatches and using his size to score.

Additionally, no team in the NBA is more well-equipped to defend and attack Brunson than the Celtics, who bolster a backcourt of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, both of whom were named Second-Team All-Defense and can score from all levels.

It would’ve been much easier to assess what a seven-game series would look like between these two teams if they met in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals, but the Knicks collapsed to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. If Brunson didn’t fracture his hand, the Knicks won that game, and that squad was able to take the Celtics to six or seven games, alarm bells would be ringing at what they could do with Bridges, Anunoby, and a healthy Julius Randle.

Regardless of the outcome of a potential playoff matchup, the NBA world benefits from the fact that Boston and New York are home to arguably the two best teams in the East. The rivalry between the two cities will be stronger than ever in the 2024-25 season as the Celtics look to repeat as champions and secure Banner 19.