Knicks' Leon Rose Defends Mikal Bridges Trade, Says Criticism of Star 'Bothered Me' in Video

New York Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose responded to criticism of the team's trade for Mikal Bridges after winning the 2026 NBA Finals.

"That bothered the heck out of me," Rose said during Wednesday's episode of the Roommates Show podcast (h/t SNY's Ian Begley). "Because it had nothing to do with Mikal (Bridges). That was the price I was willing to pay."

During the 2024 offseason, the Knicks obtained Bridges in a blockbuster swap with the Brooklyn Nets. New York gave up plenty of draft capital to acquire him, sending out five first-round picks and a first-round pick swap to go along with a second-round selection.

While the Knicks were coming off a second-round playoff appearance at the time, it was still a surprising move considering Bridges wasn't an All-Star and put together just one season in which he averaged over 20 points per game.

His tenure in New York didn't start off on a high note, as he recorded just 15.2 points per game on 47.4/30.8/50.0 shooting splits across his first 10 games with the organization.

Still, Bridges gradually improved as the 2024-25 season continued and had multiple memorable playoff moments.

He followed it up with an efficient 2025-26 campaign despite operating in a smaller scoring role, averaging 3.7 assists to 1.0 turnovers per game in the regular season.

During New York's playoff run that ended with a championship victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Bridges averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from behind the arc.

Considering his key role in the Knicks' path to hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy and winning a title for the first time in 53 years, it's safe to say that they benefited from the trade.