The Brooklyn Nets finalized the trade to send Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks on Thursday, with the final additions being Shake Milton and Mamadi Diakite from the Knicks being sent to the Nets along with draft capital and Bojan Bogdanovic.
Milton was sent in a sign-and-trade, and his new deal only has one year of guaranteed money, and two non-guaranteed years. This gives Brooklyn cap flexibility down the line, but could Milton be of value to them in a new role?
The 6-foot-5 guard out of Southern Methodist University was drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2018, and broke out as a viable scorer in 2021, averaging 13.0 points in 23.2 minutes. Unfortunately for Milton, that's been his peak across his six-year career, and became a reserve this past season after playing for three separate teams.
With the Knicks, Milton was just another body for depth in case someone got hurt. What people forget is that he was one of the better bench players in the NBA for a stretch, and in 2022-23, he had a four-game stretch in which he averaged 22.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.5 assists.
For the Nets, Milton can be a veteran leader for younger players in the locker room. He's been to the playoffs numerous times with the 76ers and Knicks, so Milton understands what it takes to win. Brooklyn could end up giving him some minutes on a rebuilding roster, and through that, he could build up trade value if there is a career renaissance.
Even if Milton isn't productive in Brooklyn, the team would only have him for one guaranteed year, and then the Nets can do whatever they want with him.
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