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How Giannis Antetokounmpo forced New York Knicks to make $150 million Mikal Bridges decision

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aaditya Krishnamurthy | Last updated Aug 1, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Mikal Bridges has Giannis Antetokounmpo to thank for his $150 million contract from the New York Knicks.

The New York Knicks are trucking along next season with the squad they have. After a successful, albeit disappointing, run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the future looks bright for them.

The Knicks hired Mike Brown as their new head coach. But outside of signing Guershon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson, the Knicks haven’t tinkered much with their roster.

But one of their key roster members was in the final year of their contract. The Knicks planned on addressing Mikal Bridges’ future this offseason.

And that is exactly what they did. The Knicks re-signed Mikal Bridges to a $150 million contract, securing his future for the next four years.

But Bridges partly got this contract because of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Knicks making a decision on that matter.

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

New York Knicks learned Giannis Antetokounmpo wouldn’t request Milwaukee Bucks trade

According to HoopsHype, the New York Knicks got information that Giannis Antetokounmpo had no intention of requesting a trade out of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Interestingly, the Knicks had interest in trading for Giannis, especially as the Bucks looked to be out of the contenders circle in the East.

“The New York Knicks got intel that Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t request a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks before signing Mikal Bridges to an extension, an NBA source told Hoops Wire on Thursday.

“The Knicks would have pursued Giannis Antetokounmpo had the two-time MVP requested a trade from the Bucks. All signs point toward Antetokounmpo remaining in Milwaukee.”

Landing Giannis Antetokounmpo was something the Knicks really considered. But once that door shut, they decided to stay the course with their roster.

Source: Knicks Got Intel Giannis Antetokounmpo Won’t Request Trade From Bucks Before Signing Mikal Bridges To Extensionhttps://t.co/M2cr8I9YHV
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) July 31, 2025

Giannis Antetokounmpo situation helped Mikal Bridges earn $150 million contract

It appears that the Knicks missing out on Giannis Antetokounmpo determined Mikal Bridges’ future. Once they knew Giannis wasn’t available, they locked down Bridges for four years.

It’s hard to understand how Bridges will feel about this. On the one hand, he earns the biggest payday of his NBA career.

There were rumors circulating around the league that the Knicks were stalling extension talks for Mikal Bridges in case Giannis Antetokounmpo became available this offseason.

Now with Bridges signing a four-year, $150M extension in New York, it’s safe to say that rival teams…
— Jake Weinbach (@JWeinbachNBA) July 31, 2025

But on the other hand, he only earned this deal because a trade for a superstar wasn’t on the table. It must be an incredibly complicated situation for him.

Bridges has been in this situation before. In 2023, Bridges went to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a trade package for Kevin Durant.

Hopefully, he uses his massive contract, along with the speculation about his future, as fuel to play at the highest level possible.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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