Mikal Bridges on Kevin Durant Deal: ‘I Would Probably Make That Trade Too’

The new Nets forward was first-team All-Defense in 2022.

If there were an award for healthiest sense of self in the NBA, new Nets forward Mikal Bridges might be a frontrunner.

Speaking to reporters Saturday afternoon, Bridges candidly acknowledged that he understood why the Suns traded him to Brooklyn Thursday morning: the allure of acquiring future Hall of Fame forward Kevin Durant was simply too good to pass up.

"It’s KD, I get it," Bridges said. "I would rather get traded for KD than someone I didn’t feel was good… It’s Kevin Durant. I would probably make that trade, too.”

Mikal Bridges on the trade from the Suns: “It’s KD I get it. I would rather get traded for KD than someone I didn’t feel was good. … It’s Kevin Durant. I would probably make that trade, too.”

— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) February 11, 2023

It's the second time Bridges has been traded since the 76ers drafted him in June 2018. The night he was taken 10th out of Villanova, Philadelphia dealt him to Phoenix for swingman Zhaire Smith and a 2021 first-rounder.

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On Thursday—just over 12 hours before the trade deadline—Bridges was incorporated into a massive package to land Durant and forward TJ Warren from Brooklyn. The Nets received Bridges, forward Cameron Johnson, four first-round picks, and the right to swap first-round selections with the Suns in 2028.

Bridges, 26, was named a first-team All-Defensive player in 2022, a season in which he played the most minutes (2,854) of any player in the league.