The Big Lead

Knicks' latest embarrassing loss magnifies how bad the Mikal Bridges trade was

The Knicks gave away five first-round picks to an Eastern Conference rival.

By Matt Reed

Feb 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) and forward Mikal Bridges (25) watch from the bench in the final minutes of the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Feb 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) and forward Mikal Bridges (25) watch from the bench in the final minutes of the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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The New York Knicks are comfortably a top three team in the Eastern Conference right now, but the gap between them and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics has reached a point where Knicks fans have to be frustrated with where their season is heading.

Last year, New York had a very good first taste of success with all their pieces coming together and making a deep push in the NBA Playoffs, however, the 2024-25 season was supposed to be about contending for a title. Those championship aspirations were only magnified by the fact that the team made a massive investment by going out and trading for Mikal Bridges.

Now, Bridges has obviously been a solid NBA player throughout his career, but this season he's averaging just 17 points per game and hasn't given the Knicks nearly enough on offense to warrant such a huge trade package with the Brooklyn Nets, which included shipping away five future first-round picks.

To make matters worse, New York is now 0-6 against the top three teams in the NBA this season, Boston, Cleveland and the Oklahoma City Thunder. That includes the Knicks' blowout loss to the Cavs on Friday night, a 37-point defeat in Cleveland.

There's certainly still time for the team to turn things around and make a real push against the upper echelon in the East, but as of right now there are serious questions about how the Knicks can make the leap they had expected to this season.

While Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns have certainly presented themselves as a quality one-two punch for the Knicks this season, it's becoming more and more clear that Bridges hasn't lived up to what the team invested in him.

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