Making Sense of Mikal Bridges' Role

The worst secret kept in the NBA last year was that Mikal Bridges wanted to be a Knick. That was incredibly evident when he appeared on the Roommates Show in February. When it happened this summer, we all celebrated.

It was the Knicks’ “all-in” move we had all been waiting for. Giving up six total first-round picks is no small feat, but there was a collective sense that it was the right move to make for the team’s competitive future. After OG Anunoby re-signed in free agency, the fantasies about two elite wing defenders in the same starting lineup became intoxicating.

But a few weeks into the season, Bridges’ fit with the Knicks has been awkward. For someone who required so much capital to acquire, he is sometimes an afterthought, often parked in the corner on offense and thus far relatively average on defense. If the Knicks are to reach the heights that they desire this year and beyond, they will need more from Mikal Bridges.

The Cost

It is important to understand the price the Knicks had given the Nets to get Mikal and where it sits historically in the pantheon of NBA trades of the last couple of decades.