Mikal Bridges had a successful regular season with the New York Knicks after they acquired him from the Brooklyn Nets over the summer. The 28-year-old averaged 17.8 points on 50 percent shooting (35.4 percent 3 PT) with 3.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists and extended his Iron Man streak to 556 consecutive games played after appearing for six seconds in the Knicks’ 113-105 win over the Nets on Sunday.
The Nets traded Bridges in July for five first-round picks and Bojan Bogdanovic, who they waived in February without appearing in a game due to injury.
Bridges opened up about how it feels to return to the Barclays Center on Sunday, via SNY.
“I always love playing in here. A lot of my teammates [from Nets tenure] are still here; love seeing them, even the coaching staff here,” the Villanova alum said. “Before I got traded, I was there with them in the summer…They’re great people, too. The staff, the workers. It’s a great energy every time I walk in here.”
Bridges played a season and a half in Brooklyn.
The Nets acquired Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round picks, and a 2028 first-round pick swap from the Phoenix Suns for Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren in February 2023. Bridges played in 83 games that year due to the deal, making him the 42nd player in NBA history to do so in a regular season.
The Knicks will face the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, while the Nets will wait to find out what lottery pick they receive on May 12.
