In the midst of the MLB trade deadline craziness, the Knicks reportedly made a big move.
According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, New York has inked Mikal Bridges to a four-year, $150 million contract extension, ending a potential major question mark heading into the upcoming season.
Bridges, per Charania, will have a player option for the 2029-30 season as part of his new contract.
The 28-year-old wing signed for slightly less than the maximum eligible amount that he could have signed for, which would have been $156 million. Bridges, following in captain Jalen Brunson’s footsteps (albeit not to the same degree), took a discount to help the Knicks make other roster additions in the future as the team nears the second tax apron.
One of the most durable players in the NBA, Bridges leads the league in games played over the last four seasons, and played in all 82 games in his debut campaign with the Knicks last season. His first season at MSG was seen as a disappointment given his erratic shooting that began with concerns over a perceived hitch in his jump shot during preseason action, and his 3-point percentage dipped from 37.2 percent to 35.4 percent. He was particularly erratic from above the break.
Still, Bridges saved some of his best moments of the season for the most important ones, particularly the clutch steal on the final play of the Knicks’ thrilling comeback win over the Celtics in game one of the conference semifinals.
The Bridges contract solidifies the team’s core for the near future, as he, Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby are all under contract for multiple years.