"If they have you hostage, just blink" - Josh Hart roasts Mikal Bridges for suggesting he should join the Nets
Josh Hart joined ESPN’s coverage of Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks. Hart’s season came to an end when the New York Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semis. Hart's offseason included an appearance as a guest analyst for the network during the said game.
The do-it-all Knicks forward looked right at home explaining some of the plays the Mavs and the Celtics executed. He didn’t look out of his element amid veteran sports hosts Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon. Hart might have a career in broadcasting if he hangs up his jersey.
Josh Hart enjoyed his time so much that he jokingly posted on Instagram that he might quit playing to become an analyst. Mikal Bridges responded to Hart by asking if the Knicks star might come to play for the Brooklyn Nets.
Hart’s answer to Bridges couldn’t get any better:
“@mikalbridges are you ok? If they [Nets] have you hostage just blink and we’ll save you.”
Over the past two years, many have speculated that Mikal Bridges is looking to get out of Brooklyn to go to New York. The Knicks have been carried by Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo, Bridges’ former Villanova teammates. Fans have also been urging the Knicks to trade for “The Warden” so that the four could reunite under Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks are also looking like they will be perennial playoff contenders. They might have gotten a shot at the championship this season if not for brutal injuries that decimated their roster. New York’s future is bright while uncertainty surrounds Brooklyn.
Can Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart reunite in Brooklyn?
Mikal Bridges’ contract with the Brooklyn Nets runs until the end of the 2025-26 season. Unless Nets GM Sean Marks has a big change of heart, the versatile forward isn’t going anywhere. Marks seems to be building the team with Bridges playing a lead role in the roster.
Bridges and Josh Hart can only reunite if the Nets and the New York Knicks agree to a trade. The scenario, though, is highly unlikely, considering Hart’s team-friendly salary. Tom Thibodeau also loves Hart’s game and as long as he is the coach, the forward isn’t going away. Had New York been healthy in the playoffs, Hart would still be a mainstay in the rotation.
Another way Mikal Bridges can join his former Villanova teammates in New York will be to wait until his Nets contract runs out. There is a big chance he will reunite with them if he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026.