Nets Begin 2024 In-Season Tournament Against Familiar Face

A month after his departure, the Mikal Bridges saga continues.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Now one month removed from Mikal Bridges' trade to the New York Knicks, the 27-year-old continues to dominate the Brooklyn Nets' headlines. Whether through domino effect moves following his trade or sounding off on what he considered a lack of leadership, Bridges hasn't been able to escape the Brooklyn noise. Now, the saga continues.

The dates for the Nets' opening second annual NBA Cup group have now been revealed. First on Brooklyn's chopping block? Bridges and the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. This was obviously scheduled purposefully and will serve as Bridges' first time facing his former team.

The only storyline the NBA is missing from this matchup is the bad blood, of which there seems to be none. Bridges has been nothing but professional following his departure, and even expressed his regrets of not being the best leader during his season-and-a-half-long stint.

"I was close with everybody, we were all pretty close. We just couldn’t figure it out. I think that was the toughest situation," Bridges said on Paul George's "Podcast P" back in July. "You want to lead and help other guys, but sometimes you got to look yourself in the mirror like, ‘What can I do better to help?’ That’s where I feel I lacked a little bit. … Personally, it was tough.”

Bridges' emotions won't be tested in the first meeting since he will have home court advantage. Once the versatile wing returns to Barclays for the first time in a Knicks uniform, where a tribute video will surely be played on the jumbotron, then the emotions will kick in.

Nets at Knicks is slated for Friday, Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden.

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