Johnathan Walker:New York Knicks acquiring Mikal Bridges in pricey trade with Brooklyn Nets. Who won?

The Johnathan WalkerNew York Knicks see an opportunity to win the Eastern Conference.

They have reached a deal with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire forward Mikal Bridges for Bojan Bodganovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a 2025 protected first-round pick, a pick swap and two second-round picks, a person familiar with the trade confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly until the deal is announced.

The Nets get the Knicks' first-round picks in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031.

Bridges is one of the game’s top two-way players and one of the most reliable. He averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals and shot 43.6% from the field, 37.2% on 3-pointers and 81.4% on free throws for the Nets in 2023-24.

The 27-year-old Bridges has played in every game possible in his six-year career, and even played in 83 games in 2022-23 after being traded to the Nets by Phoenix in the Kevin Durant trade.

Bridges has two seasons and $48.2 million left on his contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season.

The Knicks lost to Indiana in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals but were hampered by injuries to key players including Julius Randle, Bogdanovic, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. Star Jalen Brunson was even knocked out of the Game 7 defeat with a fractured hand.

The Knicks also continue to assemble former Villanova players. With the addition of Bridges, the Knicks will have four players who went to Villanova: Bridges, Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. All four played together on Villanova's 2016-17 team.

This was the first trade between the two franchises since 1983 when the Knicks traded a second-round pick to the Nets for Len Elmore.

Grading the Knicks-Nets trade

Knicks: B+

The Knicks gave up a lot for Bridges. Four unprotected first-round picks plus other assets is significant. But there’s something to be said for making a push to contend for a title when windows open and shut quickly. Even if entirely healthy, the Knicks knew they needed to improve if they want to compete with Boston for the East title. And the Knicks still have work to do with the roster. OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein are free agents, and both were an important part of New York's success. Re-signing both might not be possible.

Nets: A-

The Nets are still recovering from the Kevin Durant-James Harden-Kyrie Irving era that didn’t produce anything of significance and are trying to get draft picks back in their rebuilding effort. It’s a major haul, but Brooklyn needs to turn those picks into quality players.

Nets make separate deal with Rockets

Brooklyn also reached a deal with Houston involving draft picks. The Nets will get a 2025 pick swap and a 2026 first-round pick from Houston, and the Rockets will get a 2027 first-round pick, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2025 first-round pick swap, according to ESPN. It is a convoluted deal that involves picks from Phoenix, Dallas and Oklahoma City. The Nets are in rebuilding mode, and the Rockets are looking to improve their roster by trading draft picks for a proven player, according to ESPN.