Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart shocked by Mikal Bridges trade

The New York Knicks had been considering bringing in Mikal Bridges all season long. Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart have often spoken about how they wanted to be back on the same championship team as Villanova, but in the NBA. However, when the trade finally happened and the Brooklyn Nets accepted it, both men were still quite surprised. What was the reason for all the shock?

This is all because the Knicks and Nets almost never have any contact with each other. The Knicks point guard even knew that probability that the transaction goes down wasn’t that high before they pulled the trigger, via the Roommates Show.

“I never thought it would happen because when was the last time the Nets made a trade with the Knicks? When we saw each other after games, everyone was like, ‘Oh, these guys are recruiting.’ I was like, ‘Well, that’s never going to happen,’” Jalen Brunson said.

An unlikely trade for Mikal Bridges

The Knicks star is right. 1983 is the only other time the Nets have made a trade with the Knicks. Back then, New Jersey sent Len Elmore to the Knicks for a future draft pick. A little over three decades later, that connection with management has been rekindled to reunite the Villanova core. Today, the Knicks have Donte DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. Should Kris Jenkins and Ryan Arcidiacono decide to return to the league, the team would be more complete.

Brunson wasn’t the only one who was surprised by the trade. Josh Hart was also caught off guard because he didn’t think the Knicks and Nets would rekindle their relationship with the trade.

“Yeah, you never think it’s going to happen. But you’re like, ‘You know what? Let me just mess with Kal because he’s my guy.’ And then, Nets fans say random stuff all the time. We’re just going to make fun of the Nets a little bit,” the Knicks’ iron man said.

Ultimately, their doubts were denied by the Knicks and Nets. New York sent five first-rounders, Bojan Bogdanovic and a pick swap in exchange for Bridges. Now, their depth chart looks insane and will be a force to be reckoned with for the 2024-25 season.

How talented are the Knicks heading into the 82-game campaign?

They are well-stocked at guard and power forward. Brunson will obviously be the point guard with Deuce McBride and Tyler Kolek backing them up. At the two, they will likely start Bridges in place of DiVincenzo. That’s not a criticism of DiVincenzo, but he contributes best to the Knicks when he acts like a microwave off the bench. His performances in the second half of the season and in the playoffs prove that.

Their small forwards need a bit of a shakeup, but it could all still work. Hart is currently taking up all the minutes at that position. Obviously, Jacob Toppin and Pacome Dadiet need to step up to keep from crashing and burning. Julius Randle at the four will also have to deal with the same problem. It’s just him and Kevin McCullar at the four, which makes life a little more difficult for Tom Thibodeau.

The most impacted position in the Knicks rotation due to the offseason is certainly the center position. With Isaiah Hartenstein gone, Mitchell Robinson needs to better manage his health so they have depth at that position. Jericho Sims also needs to put up better numbers if they want to win it all in June 2025.