Knicks predicted to part ways with $150M reliable shooter in move Jalen Brunson wouldn't like

The New York Knicks are coming off an NBA championship that had the entire city buzzing as their team finally got over a hump that took decades to get over. The Knicks are also returning most of their players next season.

The chemistry between Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart is unmatched. It is something that started in college at Villanova.

“By now, the story of the ‘Nova Knicks is almost allegorical. Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson played together in college at Villanova and then reunited in New York. The tale might be a little saccharine if it weren’t important. There are many reasons the Knicks have gone on a dominant playoff run this spring, but their history together surely makes the list. Building a champion is a work of alchemy, and chemistry matters,” The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov wrote.

Bridges was the final piece of the reunion. He was traded to New York in 2024.

“Mikal Bridges is being traded by the Brooklyn Nets to the New York Knicks, where he will join Jalen Brunson and his other former Villanova teammates. The first trade between the New York rivals since 1983 will put Bridges in the lineup alongside Brunson, Josh Hart,” NBA.com wrote.

The Knicks are currently in a good financial position, but if they want to add other players, things could become a struggle. This is why Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney believes Bridges could be the piece that gets shopped if a financial situation arises.

“Mikal Bridges. (Remaining contract: four years, $150 million.) It would make sense for the Knicks to give them flexibility going forward, so we’ll slide him on this list. But the Knicks appear determined to try to hammer the team under the second apron for as long as it can–there will be a breaking point, though,” Deveney wrote.

This move would not please Brunson or Hart, but at the end of the day, it is a business. New York is going to do what it believes is the right move for the future of the organization.

Bridges is a reliable shooter when needed, and he is even better on the defensive end. The Villanova alum has the ability to be a big part of any organization. If the breakup does happen, it is going to be one that the Knicks wish did not have to happen.

More NBA news: