Stephen A. Smith Reveals Trade That Will 'Haunt' Knicks For Years

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 11:17 PM ET

It was a disappointing end to the 2024-25 season for the New York Knicks as they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games by the Indiana Pacers.

After eliminating the Boston Celtics in the second round, along with the Pacers eliminating the Cleveland Cavaliers, it seemed as though the Knicks were on their way to an NBA Finals appearance.

Instead, New York lost both home games to begin their series against Indiana and they were never able to climb out of the 2-0 hole, eventually falling in six games.

This was a disappointing end for the Knicks as they may have had their best shot to compete for a championship this season but they fell short.

Because of this, the Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday and they now enter the offseason looking for a new head coach and also have some key decisions to make regarding their roster.

Of course, the Knicks lack tradeable assets due to the trades for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges last summer and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently revealed which trade will haunt the Knicks for the foreseeable future.

“I’m looking at Leon Rose. This trade for Mikal Bridges is going to haunt this team,” Smith said. “Five first round picks, four unprotected. Keep in mind, Mikal Bridges has never been an All-Star.”

"I'm not gonna point the finger at Tom Thibodeau... I'm looking at Leon Rose. This trade for Mikal Bridges is going to come back to haunt this team."

Stephen A. Smith on the Knicks.

(via @FirstTake)pic.twitter.com/KMdbhiHUb2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 3, 2025

This is a bold take by Smith but he does make a compelling point. New York traded five first-round picks for Bridges, which was criticized due to him not being a star player.

Bridges’ first season in New York then did not go as planned as he struggled at times during the regular season before his numbers dropped even more during their playoff run.

While Bridges is still only 28 years old and still has time to right the ship in New York, the Knicks need him to bounce back huge next season or this trade could continue to haunt the franchise like Smith pointed out as they are now limited on making more moves due to their lack of draft capital.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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