New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges. Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Mikal Bridges proving why the Knicks gave up the farm for him

By Sai Mohan | Last updated May 9, 2025 9:03 AM ET

The Knicks gave up five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges, the sort of haul teams typically give up for All-Star or All-NBA players. Many felt the franchise was bananas for sacrificing the farm for a role player such as Bridges, a career 14.8 points-per-game scorer.

Two games into the Knicks-Celtics playoff series, Bridges has proven his worth, making Knicks president Leon Rose and his front office personnel look like geniuses. The versatile forward made game-winning plays in both nail-biting victories to give the Knicks a commanding 2-0 series lead.

In Game 1, he stole the ball from Jaylen Brown with three seconds left in overtime to seal his team's win. He logged 51 minutes.

In Game 2, he scored 14 fourth-quarter points to help the Knicks claw back into the game, and in the dying seconds, he thwarted a Jayson Tatum jumper to complete the comeback victory.

A reminder that Mikal Bridges was traded to the Knicks in a package that included FIVE first-round picks going to the Nets before the 2024-25 season.

This week, he's come up with two of the biggest defensive plays in recent postseason history for the Knicks pic.twitter.com/BNpfDvvcl5
— ESPN (@espn) May 8, 2025

Bridges was similarly impactful in the first round against the Pistons, holding Cade Cunningham to 37.9% shooting (11-of-29), Malik Beasley to 25% (3-of-12), Tobias Harris to 33% (3-of-9) and Tim Hardaway Jr. to 20% (1-of-5) as the primary defender.

The Villanova alum also has the perfect partner. It's often said that the wing position is the most vital in the modern NBA, and the Knicks have two of the most elite players to guard the spot.

Bridges and OG Anunoby have held their matchups to sub-30% shooting in the playoffs thus far. Per multiple insiders, the Knicks specifically paired up the duo to disrupt Celtics wings Brown and Tatum. Two games into the series, the Knicks have been justified for their bold offseason moves.

Bridges and Anunoby will try to help the Knicks go up 3-0 in Saturday's Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

More must-reads: