Mikal Bridges, Knicks agree to a four-year extension

As Charania notes in a follow-up post, Bridges took a deal slightly lower than the max he could have taken, which was $156M. By taking a small discount, Bridges helps the Knicks maintain roster flexibility moving forward. Teammate Jalen Brunson took a similar approach when extending last year.

Bridges was previously set to become a free agent this coming summer. As Ian Begley of SNY reports, Bridges could have simply waited until free agency to earn a five-year deal worth more money. Instead, Bridges is locking in with this core and helping them with more space to maneuver moving forward in the apron era.

The Knicks acquired Bridges in the summer of 2024, sending out several first-round picks to the Nets, two of which became Ben Saraf and Nolan Traore. In his first season with the Knicks, Bridges averaged 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists while playing in 82 games. He hasn’t missed a game in his career.

While Bridges’ first season in New York led to mixed results at times, including him shooting his lowest percentage from three since his rookie season (35.4%), he helped the Knicks in their playoff run and remains a key piece of the future. All of Brunson, OG Anunoby and Bridges are under contract through ’27-28 and Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart have options for that year.