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"That was the last piece" - Leon Rose explains why Knicks paid a massive price for Mikal Bridges
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- "That was the last piece" - Leon Rose explains why Knicks paid a massive price for Mikal Bridges
Building a championship team requires a lot of knowledge, readiness to make tough decisions and, quite frankly, a little bit of luck. And after the New York Knicks climbed to the Association's mountaintop following 53 years of waiting, it seems like every move leading up to that historic achievement was the right one.
However, there was a point in time when the decisions made by the Knicks front office, led by president of basketball operations Leon Rose, were under heavy fire. None drew more criticism than the move to bring Mikal Bridges on board by giving up a massive chunk of the franchise's future. Looking back now, Rose admitted that was the one he heard about the most.
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"Oh, more flak for 'Kail. The five draft picks, yeah. Absolutely, I got a lot of flak for that," Rose opened up in the recent episode of the "Roomates Show." "I think everything turned out pretty well."
Completing the Villanova poker
cExactly two years ago, on June 25, 2024, Bridges became a member of the Knicks, while the Brooklyn Nets received Bojan Bogdanovic , five first-round draft picks, a first-round pick swap and a second-round selection.
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Even now, looking back, the price still feels a little over the top. Bridges, while one of the league's most reliable do-it-all "Swiss Army knife" players, had never been an All-Star and had averaged north of 20 points per game only once in his career.
Still, with that move, Rose completed the former Villanova "poker" core of Jalen Brunson , Josh Hart , Donte DiVincenzo and Bridges. Even though DiVincenzo was later moved in the deal for Karl-Anthony Towns , it seems that chemistry and camaraderie between that group became one of the biggest reasons why New York eventually got the Championship.
"'Kail was like the last piece that would give us the group. We have just resigned OG, that day… That was the last one. And probably why, if you wanna say it was too many draft picks, but to me, we were trying to get this," he added while touching the Larry O'Brien trophy.
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Winning changed the narrative
Bridges' tenure in New York may still not fully justify everything the Knicks gave up to acquire him. The versatile forward had stretches where he struggled to find his rhythm and couldn't consistently knock down shots, which only fueled the narrative that the franchise had overpaid.
Even Stephen A. Smith, the renowned analyst and a lifelong Knicks fan, called out Bridges during the postseason quite a lot, reminding everyone about the enormous package the Knicks gave up for his services.
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"Yo, Mikal Bridges, what's up, bro? They gave up all these assets for you. You just going to sit oddly by and McBride is a plus 29 when they're on the court together and you a minus 26," Smith said .
In the end, Bridges averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 55.9% from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc during the championship series against the San Antonio Spurs .
And sure, looking back, it still seems the Nets finessed their "neighbors," but if you had offered Rose, Stephen A., or any Knicks fan that trade in exchange for ending a 53-year title drought, there is no doubt they would have signed up for it in an instant. And in the end, that's all that matters.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
