Analyst Tears New York Knicks ‘Irrelevant’ Trade

On By Littum

Longtime NBA analyst Bill Simmons believes the early returns of the New York Knicks’ trade for former Villanova Wildcat Mikal Bridges haven’t panned out.

Simmons weighed in on the “point” of the Bridges trade on the latest episode of his eponymous podcast, criticizing a perceived lack of usage and asset management by the Knicks.

“For what they gave up for him, for how little they use him, it’s kind of shocking,” Boston’s sports apologist said. “He’s like a 15-point-a-game guy. He’s just standing in the corner during peak periods. I thought he’d be a lot more involved in their offense. You think if Giannis (Antetokounmpo) is really going to be available over these For the next few weeks or months, they shot their wad on this Bridges package.”

Bridges was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets over the summer, adding to the Knicks’ storied Villanova glove, which already featured Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. DiVincenzo was later flipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns, while the Bridges deal saw the Knicks empty their draft pick cabinet to acquire his services.

Simmons argued that the Knicks could have simply “done the Towns thing” and further ripped Manhattan Bridges as “irrelevant to them sometimes.” But Simmons’ analysis may be a bit misguided at first.

Bridges’ averages through six games (17.2 points, 3.3 rebounds) are actually down, but that was to be expected as he transitioned from main builder to complementary matchup. After a slow start against Simmons’ beloved Boston Celtics on opening night, Bridges has recovered well enough to have a 50.6 percent success rate from the field. Bridges’ two-way ability is also decent as he posts 1.5 steals a game, his best total since his 2018-19 rookie campaign with the Phoenix Suns.

Bridges can certainly start to change some minds by helping pick up a pair of wins for the Knicks (3-3), who wrap up a four-game road trip Wednesday night in Atlanta (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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