Knicks May Bring On Forgotten Forward

Mikal Bridges sustains as the most popular name involved in every hypothetical New York Knicks trade as the outgoing piece, even after just one season with his newest team.

He wasn't bad in New York, but never seemed to fit as well on the court as he did in theory. His regular season defense slipped, and he vanished a lot more on offense than anyone was prepared for. The forward still backed up his value on the occasions in which he stepped up and delivered, but the upcoming extension he's likely to sign upon the offer is could be a little too rich for the Knicks' blood.

The Sporting News certainly sees the writing on the wall, and proposes a trade that sees Bridges flipped to the Utah Jazz in exchange for John Collins, a former ascending star who could help the Knicks on both ends of the floor with more consistency than Bridges could manage.

"A versatile scoring threat and reliable outside shot-maker, Collins posted a 39.9% three-point percentage last season," Dean Simon writes. "By prospectively pairing him with the Knicks' 5-time All-Star and elite shooting center Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt, New York could form one of the deadliest offensive big-man tandems in the NBA."

The improved defender and 62.8% true shooting scorer can fill in as a more dependable shooter while alternating with Karl-Anthony Towns as a part-time center, as both he and Collins are capable of scoring down low and flashing out to 3-point land.