Every summer it seems as if a tornado passes through Brooklyn and leaves no trace behind of what used to be the Nets roster. The organization has definitely earned a reputation after pursuing NBA greats like Kevin Durant and James Harden in the past, but with no luck in the basketball courts as their terms were short-lived and uneventful.
This time around, it seemed like there was a new star in town, as Mikal Bridges was their most constant player throughout the campaign. However, out of the blue, the forward was traded out to New York. This was the first deal made between both local rivals in 40 years.
Now that Mikal is out of the picture, and no key player was traded in return, it seems as if Brooklyn is headed into yet another rebuild. The exchange for their all-around best player were a haul of draft picks for future success.
The moment you’ve all been waiting for 🍿
Mikal Bridges will be introduced as a New York Knick today at 11 AM on MSG & MSG+ pic.twitter.com/9nxjlchh3H
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) July 9, 2024
The team’s general manager recognizes that they are ready to endure more reconstruction, but he doesn’t believe it will take as long as people like to think. “This build, do I think it’s going to take time? I mean, I think we’ll be strategic in it,” Sean Marks said this Monday.
He praised the fact that they traded Bridges for the Knicks’ first-round picks in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031, plus other advantages. “But I do think being in this market, with this amount of draft assets, we’ve done it before. And so again, I think, not that it’s going to be expedited by any means, but I don’t think it’s a long process, either,” he assured.
In a way, this means the franchise is changing their philosophy from a star-packed roster, to one that invests in prospects for the future. Let’s not forget that next summer they own four picks in the first round of what’s expected to be a very talented 2025 class.
“I think you have to look yourself in the mirror as an organization and sort of say what’s the best path for us moving forward here, and how do we do this and how do we have that sustainable success that we want,” Marks explained. “So when you’re able to (add) that amount of draft assets over the course of the last year, I think that’s going to help us in our trajectory long term.”
The Nets front office guarantees that Mikal didn’t want to leave, despite many reports suggesting that he was unhappy and requesting a trade
During his first half-season in Brooklyn, Bridges averaged 26.1 points per game, but then saw his stats slip to 19.6 this past campaign. This is mostly due to the team’s overall performances, as they went 32-50 and missed out on the playoffs. The GM wanted to make sure the press knew that their star athlete wanted to stay put with the Nets.
“I think it’s been reported that Mikal wanted to leave or requested a trade. That could not be further from the truth,” Marks assured. “That’s just not in Mikal’s character. That’s not who he is and that definitely did not happen. He was told by me when I called him and let him know that we’re at the 2-yard line.”
The Nets are now in a situation they’ve not been in before, as they have draft picks and enough cap space to negotiate for an All-Star talent. Only problem is, they are lacking a leader in the squad, which is why they will be seeking for a player to fit this role during the summer.
“It’s a difficult decision, because Mikal was the focal point or this organization for the last year since we did the trade,” Sean insisted. “So, not an easy decision, but at the same time when you have an offer like we did from New York, I think that sets us up on a very, very clear direction and pathway to continue to build this team to sustainable success and that’s the ultimate goal here.”
