Josh Hart was traded for one first-round pick. Mikal Bridges, the spotlighted player Friday for the interborough rivalry game, cost the Knicks five.

Karl-Anthony Towns' poor defense has been heavily scrutinized, but Mikal Bridges has been just as big of a problem on that end of the floor.

Bridges was traded from Brooklyn to Manhattan during the offseason in the first deal between the teams since 1983. The Nets received a major haul in return, with six draft picks as the centerpiece of the trade.

The blockbuster trade that sent Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn to Broadway for five first-round draft picks, a second-rounder and a first-round pick swap felt like a seismic move that said a lot about the directions the two franchises were headed. The Knicks were going for it. The Nets were rebuilding again.

The Knicks landed Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster deal last summer that sent shockwaves across the NBA. Whether or not he actually forced his way out of Brooklyn, as some reported, is anyone’s guess. The move was designed to further bolster New York’s championship odds.

Mikal Bridges chose to focus on the positives when asked about his first matchup versus his former team, the Brooklyn Nets. The post Knicks Mikal Bridges Gets Honest Ahead of First Matchup vs. Nets appeared first on Heavy.