Mikal Bridges Secures His Future with the Knicks: Signs Million-Dollar Extension
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has agreed to extend his contract with the franchise for four years and $150 million. This was reported 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. With this new contract, Bridges accepts a slight discount compared to his maximum possible extension ($156 million), which will allow the Knicks to maintain flexibility to continue building their roster. Bridges, along with Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and other key players, was instrumental in the Knicks reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years last season.Following the signing of this agreement with Bridges, whose original contract was expiring after the 2025-26 season, the main question remaining for the Knicks this preseason is resolved. Brunson’s extension in 2024 and now the agreement with Bridges give the Knicks the flexibility needed to operate under 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 in exchange for five first-round picks last summer, which fueled speculation that the Knicks might look to trade him rather than negotiate a contract extension for a large sum of money. Bridges, who will turn 29 in August, struggled at first, as the Knicks used him to defend playmakers and ball-handlers, 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. 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 (with a minimum of 150 attempts). He had an outstanding performance at key moments during the postseason. In addition to having a couple of quarters of ten or more points in the series against the Celtics, he also made key stops in the final plays of Games 1 and 2, in which the Knicks came back from consecutive 20-point victories.
