NBA Rumors: Brooklyn Nets not interested in moving Mikal Bridges
NBA rumors suggest the Brooklyn Nets aren't looking to move their best player Mikal Bridges, this summer. Bridges arrived as a crucial piece of the blockbuster deal that sent Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns at the February trade deadline.
Since debuting for Brooklyn, Bridges has become an All-Star caliber player, showing tremendous upside as one of the league's best two-way stars. He has averaged 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists, shooting 47.5%, including 37.0% from 3-point range and 89.4% from the free-throw line.
Bridges kept the Nets afloat in the standings and led them to the playoffs as the sixth seed. They were swept in Round 1 by the Philadelphia 76ers. Bridges' presence makes the Nets a playoff contender, especially with the pool of contributing role players around him.
There were murmurs that the Brooklyn Nets could enter a rebuild this offseason, forcing them to trade Mikal Bridges as it would essentially help them in tanking.
However, The Athletic's John Hollinger has debunked this idea. He reported that the Nets would likely keep Bridges for multiple reasons. Here's what Hollinger wrote in his latest report (via Nets Daily):
"I have some terrible news for fans generating fake Mikal Bridges trades. The Nets don't seem to have much incentive to play ball here. Brooklyn owes unprotected picks to Houston in 2024 and 2026 and unprotected swaps in 2026 and 2027."
John Hollinger, like Alex Schiffer, says Nets not interested in trading Mikal Bridges (which should be obvious from all the Nets marketing efforts.) https://t.co/x10EsD25VK
The Nets' blockbuster deal to add James Harden in 2021 led them to trade a chest of draft capital to the Rockets. As mentioned by Hollinger, with four picks having no protections, the Nets aren't likely to benefit much from trading Bridges. That would bode well for Houston instead.
The Nets would simply be tanking without any direction and only lose pace in their rebuilding opportunity.
Dissecting why Brooklyn Nets should build around Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges' two-way potential got overshadowed during his time with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 17.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 56 games as a third or fourth option on the Suns last season, honing the role as a defensive specialist. His points per game differential was nearly +10 upon his move to the Brooklyn Nets.
The numbers he tallied with the Nets are as good as a No. 1 option on most contending teams around the league. Brooklyn certainly has the room and space to let him grow into this primary option role over the next year while they continue retooling the roster around him.
Mikal Bridges has 38 on ESPN! 🎯 https://t.co/VZar6luPHS
Moreover, Mikal Bridges is on a team-friendly deal. He is owed $65 million over the next three years. He is also a reliable player, having never missed a game in his five years in the league.
The Nets can easily add a max player to bolster their hopes of making a deep playoff push. Looking at how the 2023 playoffs panned out, several contenders may feel they have maxed out, giving them a reason to move in a new direction.
That will open the Nets' window to retool their roster around a budding All-Star in Bridges and add a co-star, forming a solid one-two punch.