The Brooklyn Nets still feel the effects of their blockerbuster Mikal Brides trade from June 2024. The Nets sent Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for a bound of draft assets including five total first-round picks. Brooklyn's move sparked the team's shift towards developing and acquiring a greater amount of younger talent, but Bridges' time in the borough was not in vain.
When Bridges first joined the Nets in February of 2023 after the massive Kevin Durant trade, his offensive game took a huge leap. He averaged a career-high 26.1 points in his first 27 games with Brooklyn. Moreover, Nets fans embraced Bridges' laid-back but attractive personality and will give him a warm welcome back.
Mikal Bridges will return to Barclay's Center for the first time on Jan. 21 when the Nets play their first home game against the Knicks during the 2024-25 season. Before that, though, New York and Brooklyn will meet twice. The Nets take on their first Knicks matchup at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15 as the first game on their NBA Cup schedule. Then, Brooklyn plays them again two days later in the Garden.
The first few meetings between Bridges and his old teammates will surely be competitive. When he returns to Brooklyn, fans will show him love, but as expected, some might heckle the forward.
Bridges' Nets tenure was filled with ups and downs
Bridges was Brooklyn's main acquisition when they parted ways with former franchise superstar Kevin Durant. Of course, fans did not expect Bridges to become a top-tier star right away. But he possessed some of the most enticing potential in the NBA.
The Phoenix Suns dealt with injuries towards the midpoint of the 2022-23 season, and Bridges stepped up bigtime. The former Villanova Wildcat averaged a former career-best 17.2 points and 1.2 steals on a 38.7 three-point shooting clip. However, it was not just Bridges' offensive growth that excited the Suns, and later, the Nets.
Bridges was a candidate for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2021-22, the same season the Suns advanced to the NBA Finals. The 6-foot-6 forward's 7-foot-1 wingspan, lateral quickness, and instincts allowed him to wreak havoc on opposing offensive players, and he made the All-Defensive First team.
Bridges retained his outstanding ability when he joined the Nets. But unfortunately, his defensive prowess never fully materialized in Brooklyn. He averaged a career-low 1.0 steals per game during his brief stint in the borough and was no longer the stopper he once was.
Furthermore, although Bridges averaged an earnest 19.6 points per game in 2023-24, his offense was not enough to lead the Nets over the hump. Brooklyn missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019 in Bridges' first full year with the team.
Things were not perfect during Mikal Bridges' Nets tenure, but he will remain a notable figure to wear a Brooklyn jersey. Fans will not forget his signature three-point celebration or the energy he brought to the borough in his brief stint.