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With Jalen Brunson taking a massive pay cut for the New York Knicks, other players could follow suit. Evan Sidery of Forbes reported that new Knicks arrival Mikal Bridges is expected to take a pay cut on his upcoming long-term deal with the Knicks. Bridges has always been a team player, so this is unsurprising.
"With Jalen Brunson’s record-setting bargain extension complete, the strong expectation is Mikal Bridges will also take a discount on his upcoming new long-term deal with the Knicks. The Villanova duo will be setting up New York to be championship contenders for years to come."
With Jalen Brunson’s record-setting bargain extension complete, the strong expectation is Mikal Bridges will also take a discount on his upcoming new long-term deal with the Knicks.
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 12, 2024
The Villanova duo will be setting up New York to be championship contenders for years to come. pic.twitter.com/MeH6xUG6fg
Mikal Bridges was recently traded to the New York Knicks from the Brooklyn Nets in a massive deal, with the Knicks giving five first-round picks up to land the former Villanova standout. Bridges was reunited with his college teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo.
Bridges signed a four-year, $90.9 million contract with the Phoenix Suns in 2022. He was subsequently traded to the Nets in the middle of the 2022-23 NBA season. He has two years left on his current contract, where he will make $48.2 million over the next two years.
Bridges is likely to sign an extension soon. Going by this report, he will be willing to restructure the deal in order to give the team a little more flexibility with the salary cap and allow them to surround the squad with better pieces going forward as they hunt for a championship.
Is Bridges The Missing Piece For The Knicks?
Mikal Bridges is a solid role-player and can be a contributing piece for a contending team. He proved his value to a contending team with the Suns, when he played a key role in the 2021 Suns' run to the NBA Finals. With the Knicks elevating over the last few years thanks to Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, Bridges will be a key piece for the Knicks.
But does he make them a championship contender? Unfortunately, Bridges showed that he wasn't a superstar-caliber player when he was with the Nets. While his immediate impact on the Nets was incredible, last season showed that his ceiling is just that of an elite role player in the NBA.
Bridges averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists last season. While his scoring numbers are probably going to go down this year, with him no longer being a number-one option, his defense and efficient scoring will come in handy for the Knicks this year.
Bridges has also garnered the reputation of a consummate professional in the NBA. While there were rumors of him demanding a trade out of the Nets, GM Sean Marks confirmed that he didn't make any such demand, and praised Bridges for his commitment to the franchise.
The Knicks will have to make some smart moves over the next few years to capitalize on their championship window going forward.
More must-reads:
- Bucks executive opens up on Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors
- Insider offers opinion on Lebron James' thoughts on Lakers
- The 'NBA Summer League MVPs' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Jared McCain's return could shake up the 76ers rotation
Jared McCain’s rookie season didn’t end the way it was supposed to. The Sixers guard was turning heads early on and looked like a serious Rookie of the Year candidate, averaging 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists across his first 23 games. He even won Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in November. But everything came to a halt when he tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee. Just like that, his promising first year was over. For the Sixers, that injury was just one piece of a nightmare season. Joel Embiid missed time, Paul George dealt with nagging injuries and Tyrese Maxey couldn’t carry the whole thing on his own. Philly ended the year with just 24 wins and didn’t even sniff the playoffs. Yet, through all that, McCain had shown real flashes. He played with confidence, poise and a scoring feel that looked way more polished than expected from a rookie. That’s what makes his upcoming return so intriguing. He’s reportedly progressing well in rehab, taking his time but eyeing a full comeback for the 2025-26 season. In the meantime, the Sixers added more youth to the mix. They drafted VJ Edgecombe with the third overall pick — a high-motor two-way guard with a strong frame and a lot of upside. The plan is clearly to build around Maxey, McCain and Edgecombe as the new core in the backcourt. McCain and Edgecombe already seem to have good chemistry. They were spotted hanging out during Summer League, and Edgecombe’s mentioned how excited he is to share the floor with him. It’s not hard to imagine the Sixers trying lineups with both young guards alongside Maxey, especially as Paul George ages and Embiid’s health remains a question. McCain’s role this year is a bit of a mystery. If he looks sharp in training camp, he could easily challenge for a starting spot. At the very least, he should be a key bench piece with a real shot to close games, thanks to his shooting and shot creation. With his ability to stretch the floor and Edgecombe’s slashing and defense, there’s a lot of potential here if things click. The Sixers’ coaching staff will likely take it slow. Coming off a knee injury, McCain won’t be rushed. But there’s a quiet urgency around the franchise after such a bad year. The 76ers need wins, and they need their young guys to step up. That makes McCain’s return one of the biggest stories heading into the new season. If he picks up where he left off, Philly’s backcourt rotation suddenly looks deep and dynamic. Maxey is already an All-Star-level player. Edgecombe is raw but promising. McCain could be the bridge between them — polished enough to produce now, young enough to grow alongside them. Of course, there’s always the possibility he struggles to find his rhythm or needs more time to trust the knee. That’s normal. But if McCain proves he’s back and ready, the Sixers may have found a long-term piece right when they needed one most.
Aaron Boone Makes Feelings Clear After Yankees’ Big Trade
The New York Yankees didn't come into the season with the strongest third base situation, and it only got worse over time. They converted traditional second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the hot corner after getting him at the Trade Deadline last season and installed a timeshare with him, DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza, and Oswaldo Cabrera there in 2025. However, the latter player broke his ankle on May 12, and the Yankees released the now 37-year-old LeMahieu on July 10. Chisholm was primarily back at second at that point, so this left Peraza and Jorbit Vivas as their only true remaining third basemen. With Peraza hitting .147 and Vivas hitting .164, it was clear what the team's biggest need was. That's why it acquired veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Friday. New York manager Aaron Boone gave his thoughts about the 30-year-old before Friday's bout with the Philadelphia Phillies, via SNY. "I know there's real offensive potential there. I know he's had real offensive success, as well as some struggles there over the last calendar year or two," he said. "It seems like over the last month he's really started swinging the bat like he's capable of. He can impact the ball, he can control the strike zone, he's had some swing-and-misses that have probably hurt him a little bit." "But then he can really defend over there," he continued. "The handful of times that we've played against them that I watch him, you're like, 'That's what it should look like over there.' He moves really well and has that prototypical good third base thing." McMahon is slashing .217/.314/.403 with 16 homers and 35 RBI over 100 games this season. He also has a .978 fielding percentage and six errors. Right-handed pitcher Will Warren (6-5, 4.91 ERA) will start for the Yankees against Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.75 ERA) on Friday.
Dustin Rhodes Assigns Blame After Hulk Hogan’s Death
Following the shocking news of Hulk Hogan’s passing, wrestling legend Dustin Rhodes, known to millions as Goldust in WWE, took to social media to share a deeply personal and provocative reaction: “Hospitals truly kill people. I really do mean that.” Rhodes’ blunt statement stunned many fans, but those who know his story saw the pain behind the words. His father, the iconic Dusty Rhodes, passed away in 2015, aged 69, after a fall at home led to hospitalization for kidney failure. After his father's passing, Dustin shared a contemplative response on WWE's YouTube channel to discuss the legacy his father left behind. The news of Hogan's death comes just a month after reports suggested he was on his "deathbed" after undergoing a neck procedure back in May. Hogan's reps denied that was the case. In June, US Weekly reported that Hogan had also undergone a "pretty serious heart surgery and was doing well afterward." Dustin’s connection to his brother Cody Rhodes, now a top WWE superstar and face of the company’s next generation, is unbreakable. The Rhodes family legacy is deeply woven into the fabric of pro wrestling history, and seeing another legend like Hogan pass has clearly hit close to home. While Goldust and Hulk Hogan never had a headline-grabbing rivalry, they did share the ring once. It occurred in WCW in 2000 when Dustin Rhodes matched up against Hogan. Although their paths didn’t often cross in the squared circle, Hogan and the Rhodes family were part of the same larger-than-life era that helped define pro wrestling for decades and catapult the sport into society's zeitgeist. Rhodes’ comment about hospitals might not sit well with everyone, but it speaks to a raw and honest pain felt by someone who has seen too many legends, both personal and professional, fade away in similar fashion. The sport of wrestling has endured more than its fair share of lives cut short. As tributes continue to pour in for Hogan, Rhodes’ reaction serves as a powerful, if somber, reminder of the real human emotions behind the wrestling personas.
Justin Eboigbe continues to track as a breakout player at Chargers training camp
The hype keeps growing for Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe. Eboigbe was a spotlight earlier this offseason as a possible breakout because of the work he’s put into his body and within the NFL itself. And now it’s a topic showing up in a major way with the right people inside the Chargers organization as training camp gets going. Take, for example, what Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter had to say after a recent practice. “The weight has helped him,” Minter said, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. “He’s been dominant in there at times in different techniques, and I think he’s just got confidence. … When you see that work translate to the field and to how he’s playing, that’s really gratifying for a player, where the hard work that they put in shows up and allows them to play better than they played the year before.” It’s not easy for a player to break into the defensive line rotation right now for the Chargers. Just ask Eboigbe, who didn’t even register 30 snaps last year. Twenty pounds heavier and more experienced this summer, Eboigbe will compete with the likes of free-agent add Da'Shawn Hand to play a bigger role as a sophomore. Overall, the Chargers are really counting on a mix of new arrivals like Hand and upstarts like Eboigbe to boost a front seven that underwent the loss of Joey Bosa, Poona Ford and others this offseason. If Minter likes what he’s seeing so far, though, Eboigbe certainly appears to be on the right track.
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