Mikal Bridges Secures His Future with the Knicks: Million-Dollar Extension
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has agreed to extend his contract with the franchise for four years and $150 million, according to his agents, Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler of Excel Sports Management.
The agreement includes a player option for the 2029-30 season and a trade clause. Bridges cannot be traded for six months after signing the extension.
Bridges has accepted a slight discount compared to the maximum possible extension ($156 million) to allow the Knicks to maintain the flexibility needed to continue building their roster.
Alongside Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and others, Bridges was key in leading the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years last season.
With the Bridges extension secured, which expires after the 2025-26 season, the main unknown of New York’s preseason has been resolved. Brunson’s extension in 2024 and now the Bridges deal have given the Knicks the flexibility to operate under both margins of the salary cap, allowing them to add more players to the roster.
Bridges had a mixed inaugural season with the Knicks after being traded to the team last summer in exchange for five first-round picks, which led to speculation about whether the Knicks would look to trade him instead of negotiating a contract extension.
Bridges, who will turn 29 in August, struggled at first, as the Knicks used him to defend ball handlers and point guards, a role the former Defensive Player of the Year runner-up wasn’t accustomed to. His free throw attempts decreased considerably compared to the previous season, as he adapted from being the first or second option with the Brooklyn Nets to being the fourth in the Knicks’ pecking order on many nights. In addition, he raised eyebrows within the organization when he stated in March that he had asked then-coach Tom Thibodeau to reduce the minutes of the starters a bit, telling reporters “sometimes it’s not fun for the body.”
However, he was also effective in several ways, playing again in every game, finishing second in the NBA in corner three-pointers made and third in the league, behind Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, in field goal percentage from mid-range (minimum 150 attempts).
Bridges shined at several key moments during the postseason. In addition to having a couple of double-digit quarters in the series against the Celtics, he also made key stops in the final plays of games 1 and 2, in which the Knicks achieved consecutive 20-point comebacks.
