Report: Nets trading Mikal Bridges to Knicks for Bojan Bogdanović, draft picks

Mikal Bridges is headed to Manhattan to join his former teammates.

The Brooklyn Nets struck a deal to trade Bridges to the New York Knicks on Tuesday night, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. In exchange, the Nets will receive Bojan Bogdanovic and a slew of future draft capital — including four unprotected first-round picks.

The deal will reunite Bridges, a former Villanova star, with other former Wildcats Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo.

The Nets will receive an unprotected first round pick in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031, according to Wojnarowski. They’ll also receive a protected first round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2025, a second-round pick in 2025 and a protected pick swap in 2028.

Bridges averaged 19.6 points and 4.5 rebounds last year with the Nets, his first full season with the team after they landed him in a deal with the Phoenix Suns before the deadline in 2023. He has two years left on his four-year, $90.9 million deal.

Bagdanović, 35, was traded to the Knicks earlier this year from the Detroit Pistons and was critical in their playoff run — which was cut short in the Eastern Conference semifinals for a second straight season. He averaged 10.4 points and two rebounds in 29 games off the bench with the franchise.

The Nets, who have since hired head coach Jordi Fernández, went just 32-50 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018. They are now looking at a significant rebuild which, considering the draft picks they now have available, is absolutely possible in the coming years.

Nets trade picks with Rockets, who reportedly want Kevin Durant

The Nets weren’t done there.

Shortly after that deal was reported, the Nets struck a deal to restructure several draft picks with the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks.

According to Wojnarowski, that deal was done because the Rockets want to make a move to land Suns star Kevin Durant in a future trade. While the Suns haven’t said they are willing to deal Durant, who will enter his 18th year in the league this fall, the Rockets now have the picks to pull such a deal off.

If that can’t happen, the Rockets are “determined” to use the Suns picks to be aggressive elsewhere. The Rockets are reportedly “seeking a major upgrade now.” Houston went 41-41 last season and just barely missed the playoffs under first-year head coach Ime Udoka.

This post will be updated with more information shortly.