00:00Hello, this is Stefan Bondi with the New York Post, and Mikael Bridges has just agreed to sign a four-year extension worth $150 million with a player option.
00:12This news was somewhat expected. He became eligible for this extension after the season, and if he did not sign one, he would then become a free agent next summer.
00:23The Knicks, who traded five first-round picks to acquire him, didn't want to let him go, so they gave him the deal that's with an annual average salary of about $37.5 million.
00:34It lands about $6 million total under the max, which is being trumpeted as a kind of discount or gesture by Bridges to help the Knicks maintain flexibility moving forward and navigate the restrictive apron systems.
00:51Now listen, this isn't the same kind of discount that Jalen Brunson took a year ago. Obviously, we knew if Jalen ever hit free agency, he would sign for a much greater number.
01:01Mikael Bridges could have hit free agency next year, but we don't know what he could have commanded.
01:07He still has something to prove after a rocky first season with the Knicks.
01:11Certainly, he had his big moments against the Spurs on Christmas and against the Blazers in the regular season, but he also at times struggled with an adjustment from being the number one in Brooklyn to the number four offensive option at times with the Knicks.
01:27But he really shined in the playoffs in those opening two rounds against Boston and Detroit, and I think that solidified his importance to the Knicks.
01:37And it also helps that he is the most durable player in the NBA by a long shot, 556 consecutive games.
01:45That makes it easier to commit to him, and the Knicks did today.
01:49All right, Knicks fans, last week on Got Game, we talked about extensions and who the Knicks could extend.
01:54Would it be Mikael Bridges? Would it be Mitchell Robinson? Would it be Cronty Towns?
01:58Well, Mikael Bridges was the most likely, and now it is done.
02:01Mikael Bridges has signed an extension with the New York Knicks for years, $150 million.
02:08Now, Bridges had a very interesting first season with the Knicks.
02:11I know it was up and down with the Knicks fans, some inconsistent play on offense and defense, but he really showed out in the playoffs and came up with two huge defensive plays against the Boston Celtics to help them win games one and two.
02:23And what you got to like about this deal is it's not the full max, so the Knicks still have some flexibility around the team and with the second apron as they try to maneuver around that.
02:33So it helps the Knicks have some flexibility.
02:35It's a good number for Bridges.
02:37He gets a player option in the final year of the deal.
02:41This is a deal that will take him through the 2029-2030 season.
02:45Like this for the Knicks because, look, we know Bridges is durable.
02:47I think he's a player who can thrive well in Mike Brown's system.
02:51I think expect him to have a pretty good season next year.
02:55I think he'll fit really well in that system, and he's a guy who we know is an Ironman, plays every game.
03:00Is there more you would like to see out of Bridges?
03:02Yeah.
03:03And I think now that this contract is signed and now that this is done, is there pressure on Bridges to be even better throughout the regular season next year?
03:11Absolutely.
03:12I think he's got to be more consistent.
03:13I think he's got to show a little bit more in terms of offensive consistency.
03:17But some of that just might come from the system change that he has.
03:21But the Knicks, this is a good deal for them.
03:23This is a guy that went all in, and everybody's going to always talk about the five first-round picks that they gave up.
03:29But Bridges here gets a good deal.
03:31Four years, $150 million.
03:33He will stay with the Knicks.
03:35The Knicks still have a wing stop intact with him and OG Ananobi.
03:39And the Knicks offseason, which I think has been a pretty good one, now continues here with this Bridges deal.
03:44So Bridges back in the fold for the Knickerbockers.
03:47We'll talk more about this this coming week on New York Got Games.
03:50Stay tuned for that.
03:51With Mikel Bridges sticking around with the Knicks with this new extension.
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