The Knicks and forward Mikal Bridges have agreed to a four-year, $150MM contract extension, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). The deal includes a player option in 2029-30 and a trade kicker.
As Charania notes in a follow-up post, Bridges took a deal slightly lower than the max he could have taken, which was $156MM. By taking a small discount, Bridges helps the Knicks maintain roster flexibility moving forward. Teammate Jalen Brunson took a similar approach when extending last year.
Bridges was previously set to become a free agent this coming summer. As Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter link) reports, Bridges could have simply waited until free agency to earn a five-year deal worth more money. Instead, Bridges is locking in with this core and helping them with more space to maneuver moving forward in the apron era.
More to come…