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The Brooklyn Nets made one of the most surprising moves in the NBA this summer when they traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for as many as five first-round picks and three players. Brooklyn had given the impression that Bridges was virtually untouchable on the trade market so once he was traded, he was more shocked than anyone else.
“Yeah, it’s tough. This is my third team now and wherever I go, I always feel like I build pretty good relationships,” Bridges said during his introductory press conference to the media on Tuesday. The Bridges trade was officially announced on July 6, but the initial reporting of the trade happened on June 25, leaving a lot of time for both times to figure out how to make the trade work for both sides.
“I got a lot of relationships that I built over there (Brooklyn), my teammates, everybody in the organization, the staff,” Bridges explained. “The year and a half I was there, I talk to everybody so you know I’m going to be pretty close with everybody, it’s sad, man.”
Bridges came to the Nets during the 2022-23 season as part of the Kevin Durant trade that sent Durant to the Phoenix Suns. The way that Bridges played in Brooklyn that season even led many people in the NBA space to believe that he would become an All-Star for the first time in his career.
However, Bridges went from 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game on 47.5/37.6/89.4 shooting splits during 2022-23 to 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 43.6% from the field, 37.2% from three-point land, and 81.4% from the free-throw line.
It sounds like Bridges appreciated his time with the Nets and will miss the connections that he made there, especially since he was traded away from his “twin,” forward Cam Johnson. The two have played on the same team since the 2019-20 season.
“It’s sad, man. I’m going to miss everybody. I’m still in the East, so I guess I get to see them four times.”
Mikal Bridges on being traded away from the Nets: pic.twitter.com/ODDplJ0PwL
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) July 9, 2024