Jalen Brunson Gives Honest Reaction to Knicks Trade

The New York Knicks superstar was shocked by their big-name trade.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 8, 2024

May 14, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) runs up court after a basket against the Indiana Pacers during the first half during game five of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks surprised a few people when they traded for Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft and the start of free agency.

Among those people was star point guard Jalen Brunson, who shared his surprised reaction on a recent episode of the Roommates Show.

"I never thought it would happen," Brunson said. "I never thought it would happen, because, when's the last time the Nets made a trade with the Knicks?"

The Nets and Knicks don't make trades very often. The last time the two sides struck a deal was in 1983, when the Knicks traded a 1984 second-round draft pick, which later became Tom Sluby, to the New Jersey Nets for Len Elmore.

However, this was a unique case as Bridges requested a trade to the Knicks to reunite with Brunson, his college teammate at Villanova. Bridges also reconnects with Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, two players he won a title with in college. Now, the group hopes to win a title together as the core of an NBA team.

It remains to be seen if the Knicks will be successful in their title hopes with Bridges as the co-star for Brunson, but if the championship was determined on chemistry alone, New York would be a surefire favorite.

The Knicks still have a lot going against them in their title hopes, and Bridges may not be the upgrade New York needs on a talent level to compete with the Boston Celtics and the rest of the contenders in the NBA.

The Knicks need Bridges to work out with Brunson because the cost to acquire him in the trade wasn't small. The Knicks dealt Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakite, unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031, one protected first round pick in 2025, and one pick swap in 2028 to the Nets for Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop and a second-round pick in 2026.

If this trade works out for the Knicks and they win a title, the Nets may never make another deal with New York ever again.

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Published Jul 8, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.