Knicks Acquire Mikal Bridges While Nets Stockpile Draft Picks

The Brooklyn Nets have made big changes to their team, trading their top player, Mikal Bridges, to the New York Knicks, according to sources who spoke with ESPN on Tuesday.

At the same time, the Nets also made a deal with the Houston Rockets to get back some important draft picks they had previously traded away in a deal involving James Harden.

Following the exits of stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets have decided on a new path, accumulating an impressive total of 16 first-round draft picks through 2031, including four in the much-anticipated 2025 NBA draft.

Bridges had expressed a desire to play with his three former teammates from Villanova on a team that could win a championship.

The Knicks, confident they could keep him for the long term, offered a big trade package that included four unprotected first-round picks for the years 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031, a protected 2025 first-round pick via the Milwaukee Bucks, an unprotected 2028 pick swap, and a 2025 Brooklyn second-round pick, sources said.

At the same time, the Nets talked with Houston to get back their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks in exchange for Phoenix’s 2025 and 2027 picks and a chance to swap first-round picks in 2029 with Dallas, Houston, or Phoenix.

The Rockets, by getting these picks from Phoenix, are in a good position for future trades, especially since they fit with the career timeline of Suns star Devin Booker, and possibly Kevin Durant.

With the trade of Mikal Bridges, the Nets are ready to start over, looking to build a new team with the potential to draft future stars like Ace Bailey, Cooper Flagg, and Dylan Harper.

This trade is the first big move between the Nets and the Knicks since 1983, and it starts a major rebuilding project for the Nets, kicked off by the Knicks’ strong effort to get Bridges. With the NBA draft coming up, the Nets might continue to trade for more assets to rebuild their team.