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The New York Knicks traded for and signed contract extensions to Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby take up major space on the team’s salary cap.
The New York Knicks took a major risk by trading four first-round picks for Mikal Bridges in 2024 and then signing the wing player to a four-year, $150 million contract extension this past summer.
While the merits of the trade and subsequent extension can be argued from both sides, New York put itself in a tough situation as it relates to roster building over the next few years, and compounded with Bridges’ recent poor performances, it’s now looking like a move that might not have been worth what the Knicks gave up.
Additionally, in a recent list of the riskiest NBA contracts by 2028 by Bleacher Report, Bridges was ranked as one of the players who might not be worth their value in two seasons’ time.
Mikal Bridges Contract Is Very Risky For The Knicks
“Beyond the context of the multiple first-round picks the Knicks gave up to get Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, it’s the four-year $150 million extension New York issued that may be problematic,” Eric Pincus wrote for B/R. “He’s not on the team to score the 26.1 points per game he reached in 2022-23 (over 27 games), but to support All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns with defense and spacing.”
Though the Knicks did reach the conference Finals with Bridges on the roster, and he has been an overall solid option on the wing as a defender and shooter compared to many of the other forwards around the league, it’s fair to say New York overpaid to add another Villanova player to its roster next to Brunson and Josh Hart.
“While Bridges is doing his part this season, averaging 15.3 points per game and shooting 38.1 percent from three-point range, it’s the length and annual salary ($38.8 million average) that may limit what else the Knicks can do to flesh out and maintain a championship roster,” Eric Pincus wrote for B/R.
Bridges is set to earn an average of $37.5 million over the next four seasons, and after failing to score double-digit points in the last three games during the Knicks’ skid, his contract isn’t looking like a savvy move by the Knicks.
The wing put up nine points in the team’s last win over the Denver Nuggets. He then followed that up with a scoring dud on 0/6 shooting in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Finally, Bridges followed that up by putting in just seven points against the Clippers. He’s averaging just 11.2 points in March, his lowest of the season.
Though New York has been criticized in the past for making the initial trade for Bridges, he’s shown flashes of being a potential All-Star and game-changing player. However, paying more than $35 million a year for a third or fourth option isn’t a strong marker for a Knicks team that has championship hopes.
Same Contract Story With OG Anunoby For New York
Along with Bridges, OG Anunoby was also named on Bleacher Report’s list of riskiest NBA contracts by 2028. He signed a five-year, $212 million contract with New York in 2024, which was the biggest deal in franchise history at the time. They didn’t give up as many top-tier assets for him compared to Bridges, but at the same time, committing as much money as they did to not even a top-two option has come with a ton of risk.
“But Anunoby is earning star-level money to be one of the Knicks’ most important role players,” Pincus wrote on the 2019 champion with the Raptors. “That only makes sense if the franchise is reaching its goals, starting with the NBA Finals, culminating in a title.”
On the season, Anunoby is averaging 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 47.9% shooting while being the team’s top option on defense. He’s been having a strong season, but at the same time, set to earn $45 million in two years at age 30 carries a ton of risk.
The Knicks will also need to re-sign Brunson to a new contract extension soon, and the star wants the team to ‘do right‘ by him, meaning New York will have to put even more money into this roster to keep its franchise star in town and happy for the future.
This season, the Knicks are paying Brunson, Towns, Bridges, and Anunoby a combined $152 million, and that number will only go up as the years go on. While that might not look like a big and concerning number if New York was first in the East and had the best odds to win the Finals, they are currently fourth in the standings and sit behind five other teams that have the top odds to win the Finals.
The Knicks’ front office took a risk in putting this roster together, and at the moment, it feels like a difficult task to make moves that can vault the team even further into championship contention.
In short, if this team doesn’t win a title, based on the current roster and salary cap, it will be a disappointment.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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