Yahoo Sports NBA Draft analyst Krysten Peek reacts to Tuesday night’s stunning trade, which saw five future first-round picks head to Brooklyn from their crosstown rivals.
Video transcript
The Brooklyn Nets sent Miel Bridges to the New York Knicks for five future first-round picks in a blockbuster trade that took place the night before the 2024 NBA Draft. Bridges will reunite with his Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Dante DiVincenzo.
The same teammates who helped Villanova win a national championship in 2016.
The most interesting part of the trade is what Brooklyn gets in return.
They received five future first-round picks and now have 13 first-round picks between the 2025 and 2029 drafts.
Four of those picks are in 2025.
A draft loaded with top talent, including flag ace Cooper Bailey Nolan Treo and VJ Edgecombe.
This was the right time for the Nets to rebuild and it appears general manager Sean Marks is taking a page out of Sam Presti’s book in the way he is approaching the rebuilding process.
OKC acquired several picks and took just three seasons to return to a playoff caliber team and is now a very dangerous team in the Western Conference with their youthful pace and multiple options on the wing.
This is a victory for the Knicks, reuniting teammates who have already won at the highest level in college.
But the real winner is the Nets in their front office.
Recognizing the elite talent that will emerge in the 2025, 2026 and ’27 drafts, some of the best high school talent from the last 10 years and acquiring multiple picks to begin the rebuilding process.
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