Knicks’ Mikal Bridges blockbuster a definitive Jalen Brunson sign

If you list the biggest Knicks gambles of the Mikal Bridges trade, you won’t get past 1 or 2 without the double-down on Jalen Brunson. 

For much of the last year — perhaps even two years — the debate raged over whether Brunson is a carry-the-torch superstar. Many chimed in. Most answered ‘no.’ Some said he’s too small, too unathletic. Brunson converted a few non-believers after putting up Michael Jordan numbers in the playoffs. 

But it was hard to ascertain where the organization stood as it searched for a trade target worthy of all those draft picks. The trade Tuesday night shouted the answer. 

Bridges, unlike some of the other players linked to the Knicks recently (ahem, Donovan Mitchell, Joel Embiid), is a supplementary piece to Brunson, not an overrider. He masks Brunson’s defensive weaknesses on the perimeter, but won’t remove the ball from his hands. Brunson was the closer before the trade, and he’s the closer after the Knicks sent a boatload of picks to the Nets. 

This was Leon Rose’s big trade. Sure, there will be more additions before the season starts and, perhaps down the road, enough value on the roster to complete another blockbuster. But Tuesday was Rose emptying his asset chest. He relinquished control of five of his own first-round picks in the next seven years. That’s a one-time maneuver. You can forget the Giannis Antetokounmpo or Devin Booker dreams. 

And where does that leave the Knicks? Brunson, the fifth-place finisher in the 2024 MVP voting, as the No. 1 option. Julius Randle, assuming his health following shoulder surgery, as No. 2. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, two top-shelf wing defenders, as Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.