The Mikal Bridges blockbuster trade surprised fans, but it also surprised some of his former college teammates and even his new Knicks teammates.
upper “The Roommates Show” During a podcast where he co-hosts the pair, Knicks guards Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart shared their reactions to the team acquiring Bridges from the Nets.
“I never thought that would happen,” Brunson said. “When was the last time the Nets traded with the Knicks?”
Hart not only provided an answer to the aforementioned question (1983), but also delved deeper into his own initial skepticism about whether New York even had a chance to acquire Bridges.
“I don’t think that’s really going to happen, but it’s like, ‘Hey, let me just give Cal a little nudge,'” Hart said of the discussion after the Knicks-Nets game. “Because he’s my guy.”
Hart added that his disbelief stemmed from Nets fans trolling him on social media.
“Nets fans always say stuff like that,” Hart joked.
Knicks president Leon Rose made that far-fetched theory a reality when he struck the deal to acquire Bridges on June 25, sending five first-round picks, one second-round pick and a draft swap to cross-town rivals Bogdan Bogdanovic and Shake Milton.
Brunson, Bridges, Hart and fellow Knick Donte DiVincenzo were all part of the 2015-16 Villanova team that won a national title, though Bridges and DiVincenzo were limited off the bench.
Despite Hart moving on to the league, Brunson, Bridges and DiVincenzo returned to the team in 2018 and led the team to their second championship in three years, with Brunson named Player of the Year.
The two Jay Wright products were teammates again in 2023 when Brunson joined the Knicks on a four-year, $104 million contract and Hart was acquired by the team in a trade with the Trail Blazers.
The college recruiting pitch apparently appealed to DiVincenzo, and he signed with the Knicks in 2023 for four years and $46.8 million.
In the first year the Knicks played Villanova in a tri-league series, the team went 50-32, their best record since 2012-13.
Brunson led the way, averaging 28.7 points per game, helping him earn his first All-Star selection and finish fifth in MVP voting.
Despite featuring the former Wildcats star and other solid players like O.G. Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein and Deuce McBride, the underpowered Knicks fell to the Indiana Pacers in a thrilling seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal series.
With the addition of Bridges and the retention of Anunoby, hopes are high that the suddenly powerful Knicks can reach their first NBA Finals since 1999.
