Mikal Bridges Secures His Future with the Knicks: Million-Dollar Extension Confirmed
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has agreed to a four-year, $150 million contract extension with the franchise. The news was confirmed by 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) in order to help the Knicks maintain the flexibility needed to continue building their roster.
Alongside Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, among others, Bridges was key in leading the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference final in 25 years during the last season.
With the Bridges extension already secured, the most important question for the Knicks this preseason has been answered. The Brunson extension in 2024 and now the agreement with Bridges have given the Knicks the flexibility to operate under both salary limits, allowing them to add more players to their roster.
Bridges had an up-and-down initial season in New York, after being traded to the team in exchange for five first-round picks last summer, which led to speculation about whether the Knicks would look to trade him instead of offering him a lucrative contract extension.
Bridges, who will turn 29 in August, struggled at the beginning of the season, as the Knicks used him to defend point guards and ball handlers, a role the former Defensive Player of the Year runner-up was not accustomed to. His free throw attempts decreased considerably compared to the previous season, as he adapted from being the first or second option on the Nets to being the fourth in the Knicks’ pecking order on many nights. In addition, he generated some surprise in the organization when, in March, he stated that he had asked then-coach Tom Thibodeau to reduce the minutes of the starters a bit, telling reporters that “sometimes it’s not fun for the body.”
However, he was also effective in several aspects, playing again in all games and finishing second in the NBA in three-pointers from the corner 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 defensive plays in the final plays of games 1 and 2, in which the Knicks achieved consecutive 20-point comebacks.
