STEPHEN A. Smith couldn’t control his emotions after the New York Knicks made a bombshell trade for a star the night before the NBA Draft.
The 56-year-old ESPN star reacted to the New York Knicks acquiring forward Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets.
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On Tuesday night, Adriano from ESPN Wojnarowski reported that the Nets traded Bridges to the Knicks in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, five first-round picks, an unprotected pick swap and a second-round pick.
Smith, who is a famous Knicks fan, couldn’t help but share his excitement about the transaction in a video response to his ESPN colleague Wojnarowski’s reporting on X.
“Yes!” the fiery personality shouted for several seconds while his face was close to the camera.
“I know you guys are saying, ‘It’s Mikal Bridges. He’s a good player. But it’s not like you guys have [Kevin Durant].’
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“Beat it all!”
“Chemistry is important, reliability is important, consistency is important, defense is important. Brother can shoot. Brother can play.
“I’m sorry, I like this play by the New York Knicks. He’s young, he’s energetic, he’s experienced, he defends and he fits perfectly into the culture of the New York Knicks, and that’s all I ask for.”
First Take star thinks the Knicks need one more piece before they are legit NBA candidates for the title.
“But we are moving in the right direction!” he said.
Wojnarowski even responded to Smith’s post, writing, “I’ve been waiting for you…”
Bridges will join the New York team that reached the Eastern Conference semifinals in the 2023-24 season, losing to the Indiana Pacers in seven games.
He will also join former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo.
The Knicks hope to retain OG Anunoby as a free agent, according to Wojnarowski, but the team’s ability to re-sign center Isaiah Hartenstein appears unlikely right now.
Bridges played his first four seasons with the Phoenix Suns, who traded him to the Nets as part of a trade for Kevin Durant in 2023.
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He was Brooklyn’s No. 1 option after the trade, averaging 26.1 points in 27 games for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign.
However, Bridges’ numbers dipped last season, averaging 19.6 points in 82 games.
SNY Ian Begley reported that the deal closed this week when he told the Nets he wanted to be a Knick and was ready to use that leverage to prevent other teams from acquiring him.
“This is crazy haha,” Bridges wrote in an X post on Tuesday night after the News broken.
Bridges will be paid $48.2 million over the final two years of his current contract.
He will be eligible to sign a two-year extension on October 1st.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
