https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js
The Brooklyn Nets had been of the idea that they were going to have a soft rebuild with Mikal Bridges being the player that they paired with a star that came to Brooklyn. However, as more reporting comes out surrounding the trade of Bridges to the New York Knicks, it looks like he’s the one who wanted out.
Per Ian Begley of SNY on Tuesday, Bridges informed the Nets earlier this week that he wanted to be a part of the New York Knicks at some point. The Knicks were recently reported by Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports to be one of the teams inquiring about Bridges as we approached the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft that begins on Wednesday.
Begley reported further that the deal between Brooklyn and New York came together quickly after Bridges told the Nets of his intentions to be with the Knicks one way or another. “Bridges was prepared to sign with NYK and his side was prepared to use that leverage to keep other teams from trading for him, per SNY sources,” Begley wrote on X.
The story goes even deeper as Begley wrote that Bridges and his representation was willing to make things harder for the Nets to trade him anywhere but the Knicks as he was trying to get his way.
With all of that being said, the Nets received quite the haul for Bridges as they got forward Bojan Bogdanovic, five first-round picks, a pick swap, and a second-round pick for someone that acquired less than two years ago in a package for Kevin Durant.
With all of the questions surrounding the Nets in terms of the management structure after James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant all requested trades within one year of each other, this will only increase the chatter about players wanting to play for Brooklyn.
This is something that I wasn’t expecting to see. It looks like after everything that happened this past season, Mikal Bridges reportedly told the Nets that he wanted to be with the Knicks. There was a lot of speculation about this on Nets Twitter and those people were right. https://t.co/dHU1pgyHmm
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) June 26, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Mikal Bridges deal came together quickly after Bridges informed the Nets that he wanted to be a Knick. Bridges was prepared to sign with NYK and his side was prepared to use that leverage to keep other teams from trading for him, per SNY sources.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 26, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Nets surely didn’t want to trade Mikal Bridges to NYK but Bridges’ side was prepared to force the issue by telling teams he wanted to be w/NYK, per SNY sources. Bridges’ side made it clear to BKN that he wanted to be w/NYK, reunite w/Villanova teammates Brunson, Hart, DiVincenzo
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 26, 2024