On the eve of the NBA draft, the Knicks and Nets orchestrated their first trade since 1983 in a dramatic move. The New York Knicks agreed in principle to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, five first-round draft picks, a first-round pick swap, and a second-round selection, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday.
Brooklyn will receive unprotected New York picks in 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031, along with an unprotected pick swap in 2028. Additionally, the Nets will receive a top-four protected 2025 first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks and a 2025 second-rounder. The Knicks will obtain a 2026 second-round pick from the Nets to complete the deal.
Mikal Bridges, 27, has never missed a game in his NBA career and averaged 19.6 points this past season for Brooklyn. He is regarded as one of the league's elite 3-and-D players. This trade marks the fifth between the two New York franchises since the Nets joined the NBA in 1976 and the first since 1983 when the Nets traded Len Elmore to the Knicks for a 1984 second-round pick.
Bridges will reunite with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo on the Knicks. The quartet led Villanova to the 2016 national championship, and Brunson, Bridges, and DiVincenzo won a second title together in 2018. They aim to help end the Knicks' 52-year championship drought next season.
Sources also revealed that the Knicks are focused on re-signing forward OG Anunoby, who they acquired midseason from the Toronto Raptors and who is set to become an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks also hope to re-sign center Isaiah Hartenstein, though they are limited by his early Bird rights, which cap his potential contract at four years, $72.5 million.
By acquiring Bridges and potentially re-signing Anunoby, New York is bolstering its perimeter length, versatility, and shooting to compete with the champion Boston Celtics for Eastern Conference supremacy. Bridges has played 474 consecutive games, the longest streak in the NBA over the past 40 seasons. He is among the few players with 1,500 points, 150 3-pointers, and 75 steals in each of the past two seasons, alongside Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, and Jayson Tatum.
Bridges is under contract for $23.3 million and $24.9 million over the next two years and is eligible for a two-year extension on October 1, with the possibility of a three-year, $113 million extension in six months.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, has chosen a clear direction by trading Bridges and utilizing the first-round pick rights acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the Kevin Durant trade. The Nets now control their 2025 and 2026 drafts, which feature high-end prospects like Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer, son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.
Bojan Bogdanovic, 35, averaged 15.2 points last season with the Knicks and the Detroit Pistons. The Nets originally drafted him in 2011, and he played his first 2.5 years in the NBA with them.
Information from ESPN Stats & Information and ESPN's Bobby Marks contributed to this report.
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