Knicks Going All In After Mikal Bridges Trade

The New York Knicks have very few assets to trade after acquiring Mikal Bridges.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 21, 2024

Jan 23, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) talks to New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are pushing all of their chips in and doubling down on a Jalen Brunson-led squad to take them to the promised land.

The Knicks hope that the final piece to the puzzle is Mikal Bridges, who the team acquired after trading a boat load of first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets, leaving them with very few assets to deal in future transactions if they wanted to make any.

Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale believes that this trade should keep the Knicks in the contender conversation for the next three years, giving them the No. 8 slot in a power ranking of three-year outlooks.

"Make no mistake, the Knicks are immediately in contention for biggest-Eastern-Conference-threat-to-Boston honors. But their path to continued improvement from here is more challenging without any blue-chip prospects or tantalizing trade assets left in the tank," Favale writes.

The only teams to rank ahead of the Knicks were the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Knicks might be the team best-equipped to challenge the Celtics for the top spot in the Eastern Conference this year, but until 2027, New York might not be in the best position compared to other teams.

The organization is placing its faith in Brunson hoping that the 'Nova Knicks will be capable of winning a title just like they did twice in college in 2016 and 2018.

The only other way the Knicks could make a drastic change to the roster is by trading Julius Randle, who is only under contract until the end of the 2024-25 season. The Knicks want to keep Randle, but if they cannot come to an agreement on a deal, New York may look elsewhere to try and build a contender.

Make sure you bookmark New York Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Aug 21, 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.