Knicks in 'Risky Business' for Mikal Bridges Trade

The New York Knicks are risking it for the biscuit.

Mar 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives past Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are rolling the dice on Mikal Bridges after trading a boatload of future draft picks to acquire him from the Brooklyn Nets.

In the deal, the Knicks gave away Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton, an unprotected 1st-round pick in 2025, 2027, 2029, 2031, an unprotected pick swap in 2028, a top-four protected 2025 1st-round pick via Bucks and a 2nd round pick in 2025 for Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop and a 2nd round pick in 2026.

Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale acknowledges how big of a risk the Knicks are taking by making the trade.

"New York cashed in its best trade chips on someone who may or may not be capable of taking the No. 2 reins. Leaving that to chance when surrendering five first-rounders and one swap is objectively risky business," Favale writes. "But the Knicks are betting that Bridges is the finishing piece to a bonafide title contender. That mindset is equal parts warranted, worth applause and, on some level, totally harrowing."

The Knicks have a lot that can go wrong if the trade doesn't warrant the results they want. Trading that many picks for a player who isn't even the best or second-best on the team is a massive undertaking, and the fallback if it doesn't work could set the Knicks back several years.

By giving up that much, the only thing that would justify the trade for the Knicks is a championship. If they fall short of their goal, it may be a trade the Knicks end up regretting.

That is going to put a lot of pressure on Bridges, but if he can live up to the hype and fulfill the vision the Knicks have for him, the team may end up winning it all.

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