New York Knicks Proving Controversial Past Trade Was Worth It

It turns out Mikal Bridges is worth six first-round picks after all.

And then some.

This much is clear two games into the 2026 NBA Finals. The New York Knicks hold a 2-0 lead over the San Antonio Spurs for a number of reasons. One of them rhymes with "BAT." Another one of them—among the biggest, in fact—is Bridges. 

The 29-year-old wrapped New York's 105-104 Game 2 victory with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists on 8-of-13 shooting while playing exhaustive defense for nearly 41 minutes. He pestered everyone from Devin Vassell and De'Aaron Fox to Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. He bailed out the offense on numerous occasions, converting 3-of-4 field-goal attempts and drawing one foul with four or fewer seconds remaining on the shot clock. 

He even spearheaded units that didn't feature a single one of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns or OG Anunoby. In the Finals. 

Yet, while this goes down as one of Bridges' louder performances, the impact is becoming typical. He scored just nine points in Game 1, but he worked his behind off on defense, dished out three assists and drew three fouls.

Much like the rest of the Knicks, Bridges' ascendance isn't limited to this series. Or the last one. Or even the one before that. He has been molten, at both ends, since Game 3 of the first round.

Over the past 13 outings, all victories, relentless and disruptive defense has remained his default. Even as his offensive usage waxes and wanes, he's filling gaps by getting out in transition, flashing to the middle in the half-court, putting pressure on the basket and just generally making shots. He has connected on 69.2 percent of his twos and 42.1 percent of his threes during this stretch.

Plenty of Finals basketball is left to play. We needn't see another minute of it to know everybody was wrong about New York's trade for Bridges.

Here's What Everyone Got Wrong About the Mikal Bridges

For those who might not remember, the Knicks surrendered control of six first-round picks to get Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets in 2024: five outright selections and a 2028 first-round swap. 

That is objectively a lot for someone who has not—and likely will never—make an All-Star Game. For a while, it appeared as if this would be New York's defining error. 

Bridges has routinely drawn the ire of fans, talking heads and blogpeople over the past two seasons. And shipping out so many first-rounders for him meant the Knicks didn't have enough to poach Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks.

Hindsight isn't always 20/20, though. Rattling off the package without context makes it sound worse than it's actually become. 

Two of those first-rounders have already conveyed. They turned into Ben Saraf and Nolan Traoré. The second-rounder New York sent out became Adou Thiero. You think the Knicks are lamenting that or the picks to come after this:

It must also be noted that the price paid for Bridges wasn't just inflated because he's a Villanova alum. He had two years left on a contract worth under 17 percent of the salary cap.

Just as the Knicks couldn't navigate their cap sheet as effectively if Jalen Brunson earned market value, Bridges' deal made it possible to shell out a five-year, $212.5 million pact for OG Anunoby and eat up Karl-Anthony Towns' mega salary without needing to cross the second-apron threshold.

On top of that, New York jettisoned zero players of consequence in the trade. Bojan Bogdanović, Mamadi Diakite and Shake Milton were the names sent out to make the math work. The absence of a high-impact veteran or blue-chip prospect in the package always necessitated a draft-pick premium. That would have been true for any team—not just the Knicks.

A similar disconnect permeated the discourse when New York signed Bridges to a four-year, $150 million extension over the offseason. It made him virtually immovable this season, and most of all, sounded like a lot of money. 

Big whoop. Bridges will probably never be one of the NBA's 50 highest-paid players while on this extension. Even when he's been at his worst, a top-50ish salary is the going rate for marquee three-and-D support. At his best, he provides way more. 

Making the NBA Finals Means Never Having to Say Sorry  

Four more first-round obligations from the trade—three outright, one swap—must still be settled. Again, that's a lot.

It doesn't matter. At all.

Punching their first Finals tickets since 1999 is proof the Knicks connected on this big swing. It looks even better now that they are two wins away from a title—the closest they've been to a championship since they won it all in 1973. 

If history is any indication, New York's championship drought will end here and now. Just two teams have ever stolen Games 1 and 2 of the Finals on the road, and both went on to hang a banner:

The Knicks gave up a lot to get a lot—someone capable of being a top-four player on a title team.

No, the job's not finished. But the discussion surrounding the Bridges trade is. 

---

Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.