Mikal Bridges Knew Suns Might Trade Him to Nets for Kevin Durant After Rumors in FA

Mikal Bridges was happy when Kevin Durant made his original trade request last summer because it allowed him to prepare for the possibility that he could be on the move.

Appearing on The Old Man and the Three (starts at 4:30 mark), Bridges explained he was "happy" Durant's trade request was public during the offseason because "it was always in the back of my head" that he might be dealt.

When Durant made his original trade request to the Brooklyn Nets, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat were on his list of preferred destinations.

It was a reasonable assumption at the time that any deal involving Durant going to the Suns would include Bridges. The 26-year-old wing is in the first season of a four-year, $90 million deal. He has been lauded for his all-around skill set and was named to the All-Defensive first team last season.

The Nets announced on Aug. 23 that Durant agreed to move forward with the team for the 2022-23 season. It was a short-lived reconciliation and the 13-time All-Star was traded to Phoenix on Feb. 9 for a package headlined by Bridges and four first-round picks.

Wojnarowski reported Durant and his business manager, Rich Kleiman, told Nets governor Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks during a meeting before the trade deadline he preferred a deal to the Suns.

According to Wojnarowski, Suns governor Mat Ishbia initially wanted to make the deal without Bridges, but that was considered a "nonstarter" for the Nets.

Bridges' age, contract and skill set were always going to make him an attractive trade option for teams.

The situation in Brooklyn is set up for Bridges to take his game to another level. The Villanova alum figures to be the focal point on offense for head coach Jacque Vaughn. He scored a career-high 45 points on 17-of-24 shooting in his third game with the Nets, a 116-105 win over the Heat on Feb. 15.