The Knicks should prioritize an extension for Mikal Bridges this offseason, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post opines.
While Bridges isn’t an All-Star at the level of Jalen Brunson, he’s proven his value with game-changing plays during the postseason after an underwhelming regular season. He’s also extremely durable. Bridges could sign a four-year extension worth up to $156MM this offseason, which would make sense for both sides. However, Bridges could choose to wait until free agency in 2026 with the hope of getting a more lucrative deal.
We have more on the Knicks:
- Tom Thibodeau has been criticized in the past for sticking with the same formula but that hasn’t been the case in these playoffs, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. New York made more switches defensively than it ever did during the regular season in order to throttle Boston’s attack. He also allowed Bridges to initiate the offense more often in pick-and-rolls with Brunson on the bench. The team’s regulars have also made it to the conference finals in good health despite Thibodeau continuing to rely heavily on his starters.
- Brunson changed his workout routine after he left the Mavericks to sign with the Knicks, his personal trainer Dave Williams told Spencer Davies of RG.org. “The workouts were basically the same, but they evolved,” Williams said. “In New York, I knew he’d have the ball in his hands all the time. In Dallas, he played alongside Luka (Doncic), who was more ball-dominant. So in New York, we focused more on one-on-one moves and shooting off the dribble. We did more pick-and-roll work and had him shooting threes off the pick-and-roll. We increased the threes a lot. When I hear commentators say he got better at shooting off the dribble, that has me smiling inside.”
- They need to take advantage of this opportunity because another one might not come along, Vaccaro writes in another column. While the team is built to take multiple shots at a championship, they can’t count on getting to this spot again. He notes the NHL Rangers, who share Madison Square Garden with the Knicks, made the conference finals last season and didn’t make the playoffs this season.
- Peter Botte of the New York Post breaks down the matchups and 10 factors that will decide the series between the Knicks and Pacers.