This is Jalen Brunson's moment to cook
Those were big ones.
There are others: the inarguable pleasure of a hot-fudge sundae (or a cold beer) on a stifling summer day; the genius of 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid;' the four-sided brilliance of 'Exile on Main Street;' Jonathan Groff channeling Bobby Darin in 'Just in Time.'
As it pertains to the Knicks, the self-evident truth is the simplest one of all:
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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Knicks sign Mikal Bridges to four-year, $150 million contract extension
Mikal Bridges' future with the Knicks is no longer in question, as the team has signed the veteran guard to a four-year, $150 million contract extension, sources confirmed to SNY. Bridges was eligible for a four-year extension worth as much as $156 million. By agreeing to a deal at $6 million less than the max, Bridges gives the Knicks some financial flexibility in an era where every dollar counts for contending teams. That future financial flexibility was an important part of the deal for the Knicks and Bridges, per sources familiar with the matter. 'He wants to be here and wants to win here,' a league source told SNY. Bridges, who joined the Knicks last summer in an offseason trade with the Nets, averaged 17.6 points with 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds across 82 regular season games in 2024-25. The 28-year-old then scored 15.6 points on average in the playoffs, helping the Knicks make a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. He had an up-and-down regular season but made several clutch plays for New York in the postseason. The Knicks like how Bridges (who turns 29 next month) fits the timeline of their other top players. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson are all 30 or under. Brunson, Towns, Bridges, Hart and Anunoby are all under contract through 2026-27. The Bridges extension, which was first reported by ESPN, kicks in next season. If he'd waited to become an unrestricted free agent, Bridges would have been eligible for a deal as long as five years and for much more total money. Brunson took a significant discount by signing an extension last summer. His decision to sign the extension instead of waiting until free agency will help the Knicks avoid onerous penalties in the second apron. Bridges' discount will also, to a much lesser degree. But every dollar counts for teams like the Knicks, who want to contend. By having a team salary under the second apron, the Knicks will have more tools to acquire free agents and the flexibility to make trades that they wouldn't have if they are over the second apron, which is $222 million in 2026-27. According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the Knicks currently have $18 million in space under the second apron heading into the summer of 2027. The Knicks sent five first-round picks to the Nets last summer to acquire Bridges. So they needed to either extend him or put him in a trade that netted a significant return. Now that Bridges is signed to the extension, he is ineligible to be traded for six months.
a day ago
Mikal Bridges agrees to a $150 million extension with the Knicks, AP source says
NEW YORK -- Mikal Bridges agreed to a four-year, $150 million extension with the New York Knicks on Thursday, a person with knowledge of the details said. The person confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced. It was first reported by ESPN. The Knicks gave up five first-round picks to acquire Bridges last June and he rewarded them by taking less than he could have earned to lock in to a future with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. Bridges could have earned $156 million in this extension, or even more by waiting until his contract expired next summer. Instead, he took the deal that could allow the Knicks future flexibility to keep building a team that reached the Eastern Conference finals last season for the first time since 2000. Bridges made a couple of huge defensive plays when the Knicks knocked off 2024 NBA champion Boston in the second round. The Knicks sought those defensive abilities and his availability to play every game that is unmatched among current NBA players when they traded the huge package of picks to acquire Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets last summer. Bridges played in every game — as he has in every season in the NBA — and averaged 17.6 points. The NBA's reigning iron man also played in every game in college before appearing in all 556 since entering the NBA as a first-round pick in 2018. He helped Phoenix reach the NBA Finals in 2021 and was runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year the following season, before being dealt to Brooklyn at the 2023 trade deadline as part of the package for Kevin Durant. Bridges averaged 26.1 points in the final 27 games of that season and 19.6 in 2023-24, before becoming more of a supporting offensive piece with the Knicks behind Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Reports: Mikal Bridges agrees to 4-year, $150 million extension with Knicks
Fresh off playing an integral role in the New York Knicks reaching their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years, forward Mikal Bridges agreed to a four-year, $150 million contract with the team on Thursday, according to multiple media reports. The deal reportedly includes a player option for 2029-30 and a trade kicker, making Bridges, 28, ineligible to be traded for six months after the signing extension. His previous deal was set to expire following the 2025-26 season. The new contract is reportedly a slight discount from his potential max extension of $156 million. By agreeing to a reduced salary, though, the Knicks gain more flexibility to continue building out the roster and potentially make another deep playoff run. New York acquired Bridges last summer as part of a massive trade that included sending four unprotected first-round picks and one protected first-rounder to the Brooklyn Nets. In 82 regular-season games last season for the Knicks, all starts, Bridges averaged 17.6 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, including a 35.4 percent clip from 3-point range. During the playoffs, Bridges contributed 15.6 points on 45.6 percent shooting as well as 1.7 steals per game. He has averaged 14.8 points during his seven-year career that includes stops with Phoenix (2018-23), Brooklyn (2022-24) and New York. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
