SI

Heat Star Accuses Knicks' Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart of Tampering After Mikal Bridges Trade

Tim Capurso

Feb 14, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) and guard Josh Hart (3) wait for the ball against the Orlando Magic in the second quarter at KIA Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) and guard Josh Hart (3) wait for the ball against the Orlando Magic in the second quarter at KIA Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports / Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
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At least one NBA player is a little suspicious of New York Knicks guards Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart after the franchise pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire forward Mikal Bridges on Tuesday night.

As Brunson and Hart took to X, formerly Twitter, to react to news of the Knicks netting their former Villanova Wildcats teammate via trade, Miami Heat star center Bam Adebayo also took to the platform and accused the duo of tampering, to which the two Knicks players responded.

"Y'all was tampering," Adebayo wrote, to which Brunson replied, "Chilllll." Then, Hart joined the conversation and said, "Let us celebrate in peace!"

The Knicks acquired Bridges from the Nets in exchange for four unprotected first-round picks (2025, '27, '29, '31), a protected first-round pick in '25 via the Milwaukee Bucks, an unprotected Knicks pick swap in '28, and a Nets second-round pick in '25.

Bridges, who played on the national title-winning, 2015-16 Villanova team alongside Brunson, Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, had reportedly expressed a desire to reunite with his former Wildcats teammates on the Knicks.

During an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks earlier in June, Brunson had jokingly ribbed Bridges for still being on the Nets.

Now, the four Villanova teammates are together again on the Knicks—and they seemingly couldn't be happier.

Back in December of 2022, the NBA stripped the Knicks of its second-round pick in '25 after a five-month investigation concluded that the team had tampered with then-free agent Brunson, who inked a four-year, $104 million contract with New York in June of 2022.

Adebayo's tampering accusation may have an element of tongue-in-cheek to it, though it will be interesting to see if the league takes a look at the Knicks after the Bridges trade.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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