Nets forward Mikal Bridges is already well on his way to establishing himself as a star player in the Big Apple, but his route to get there was anything but what he expected.
As Bridges explained on the Tidal League podcast, the Villanova product actually had his sights set on joining the Knicks as the ninth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
“I thought I was going to go to New York at nine,” Bridges said. “I was excited though because I wanted to go to the Knicks, I wanted to be in New York, I’m like that’s lit, it’s like still close to home but a little farther out, which is cool, and I love MSG, all my best games in college, like the Big East Tournament, were there.
“So I’m like ‘Alright, go nine. I want to go nine.”
But as we all know, the Knicks passed on Bridges with their ninth overall pick, instead drafting University of Kentucky sharpshooter Kevin Knox.
Bridges was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the next pick at No.10, but was then quickly traded to Phoenix in a deal that send Zhaire Smith and a future draft pick to Philly.
Bridges put up solid numbers during his four-and-a-half seasons with the Suns, but after being traded to Brooklyn as part of the blockbuster that sent Kevin Durant to the Valley of the Sun, Bridges has blossomed into a superstar, averaging 26.1 points per game in 27 regular season games as he took on the role of the team’s No. 1 scoring option.
Knox had a decent rookie year with the Knicks, averaging 12.8 points per game, but his playing time dwindled after that rookie season, and Knox was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in January 2022 as part of a deal that brought Cam Reddish to New York, ending a disappoint tenure for Knox.
Now, Bridges looks the part as an emerging star in Brooklyn, while the Knicks are still in search of a superstar to add to their roster.