Knicks Must Re-Sign Mikal Bridges

New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has one year remaining on his contract and is set to become a free agent in 12 months.

The Knicks can either let him play out the final year of his deal or agree to a contract extension by June 30.

ESPN insider Bobby Marks looks into why the Knicks should sign Bridges to an extension.

"If we are going on durability alone, Bridges is a shoo-in for a new contract. He is eligible to sign up to a four-year, $156.1 million extension this offseason," Marks wrote.

"Since entering the league in 2018, Bridges has not missed a game. His 37 minutes per game this season were the highest in his career."

"... The question will come down to whether the Knicks are willing to offer their fourth-best player an average salary of nearly $40 million over the next four seasons. If they are, it is hard to see Bridges turning down a $10 million pay increase next season and over $150 million in guaranteed money."

Jalen Brunson's sacrificial contract was agreed to with the idea in mind that it would help players like Bridges stick around with the Knicks. However, if the Knicks don't come to terms on a new deal with Bridges, the trade with the Brooklyn Nets and Brunson's contract won't have the same kind of value.

The Knicks put in the leg work to get all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, and Bridges was a big part of that. It would be a shame if the Knicks let all of that go to waste because they don't want to commit long-term to Bridges, who they traded five first-round picks to acquire in a blockbuster deal.